A Change of Plans: A Christmas to Remember
by lil'nomdeplume
Summary: After a freak accident, Tony and Pepper find themselves stranded in a remote cabin in the woods in a blizzard. It isn't the way either of them intended to spend the Christmas holiday, but can they make it work, and, therefore, make it a Christmas neither of them will ever forget? Very AU. And very fluffy, with a pinch of angst thrown in for interest.
1. Chapter 1

**I had so much fun writing a Christmas-themed story last year ("A Very Pepperony Christmas in New York") that I wanted to do it again. And since the fics I have in progress won't lend themselves to that currently, I have no choice but to create a new one. (My hands are tied. Honestly. ;) )**

 **So, here's the first chapter of this year's Christmas-y tale. I hope you enjoy it.**

 **And P.S.- this doesn't mean I've quit on my other fics. I'll keep updating those, as well, as we go along in the coming days, I promise!**

 **In the meantime, Happy Reading...**

It happened in a flash. One minute, he could see her tail lights ahead of him, though the heavy, blowing snow was making it more and more difficult with each mile. The next, they totally disappeared, and he heard the screeching of her tires, and the grinding, crunching, crashing sound of metal as her car slammed into the guard rail, and then flipped end over end, over the side of the hill, coming to rest in a shallow inlet of the river in the canyon below. He jerked his car over to the side of the road, and piled frantically out of the driver's side, his heart thundering in his ears as his eyes took in the horror of the scene in the darkness. Her headlights shown eerily into the trees along the bank, a frightening indicator of where the vehicle had come to rest. "PEPPER!" he screamed helplessly, his voice muffled by the biting wind whipping all around him. He quickly hurdled the guard rail, and half-ran, half-rolled down the hillside, desperate to reach her before the interior of the car flooded with the icy water and pulled it, and _her,_ under.

Finally, he made it to the wreckage of her car, the underside turned skyward and steaming, the two rear wheels rotating futilely. He rushed to the driver's side, falling into the bone-chilling water, only inches deep in this spot, to survey her condition. He gasped at what he saw, seeing she was unconscious, and bleeding profusely from her forehead, still strapped in by her seat belt. Thankfully her window had been busted out by the impact, and he could squeeze in between her and the steering wheel to try to free her. He strained, on his hands and knees, the water level quickly rising in the car, to unfasten the seat belt, while cradling her head in the crook of his shoulder at the same time. Finally, he reached far enough to be able hit the button, and in one motion, the belt loosened and Pepper fell forward into his arms, still unconscious. "There. I gotcha', Pep. Don't worry," he muttered to her, moving to ease her out of the vehicle and up on to a sandbar near by. Thankfully, the canyon provided a shelter from the blistering wind up top. But the snow fell heavily around them, quickly finishing the job of soaking the both of them to the bone. He began to shiver, and knew he'd have to work quickly, or they _both_ would become hypothermic, and their chances of survival in this remote wilderness would be dramatically lessened.

He laid her gently on her back and braced himself to the side, over the top of her. He then put his fingers to her neck to check for a pulse, and waited anxiously for any sign she was still with him. After a moment, a slow, weak pulse was detected, and he breathed a small sigh of relief. He then put his head to her chest to watch and listen for her breathing. But there was no movement or sound, so when he realized she _wasn't_ breathing, and a new panic gripped him. He quickly raise back up and watched her with wide eyes for a moment, before moving to tilt her head back. "Come on, Pepper! _Breathe,_ honey!" he begged, as he plugged her nose, covered her mouth with his, and breathed his breath into her lungs. He watched her lungs rise in his peripheral vision as he did this, and then turned his head to the side to watch as the air rapidly left her lungs, desperate to see if she would start breathing on her own. But his efforts were to no avail, as her chest didn't rise again on its own.

"Damn it! Come on, Pepper! Stay with me! _Breathe!"_ he pleaded, repeating the motion of filling her lungs again. He watched her desperately this time, raising his fingers to her neck to check for a pulse once more, as he watched the air leave her lungs. Her still weak heartbeat assured him she was still alive, but she still wasn't breathing on her own.

"One more time, Pep! Come on! Let's go!" he urged, as he tilted her chin back once more and breathed a third breath into her lungs. Her chest fell, predictably. But this time, as Tony turned his head to watch for her to start breathing on her own, he saw her chest rise directly after it had fallen. Granted, it was a shallow breath, but a vast improvement none the less. He smiled in approval, and looked back at her, nodding. He cupped her cold-reddened cheek. " _There_ you go, Pep. _That's_ it," he told her, breathlessly.

He sat back on his haunches for a moment, to survey their surroundings, knowing the clock was ticking for him to be able to find them shelter, and get them warm. The darkness, along with the snow fall, made it hard to see anything. And he knew they couldn't go back up the direction he'd come down, as the snow would make climbing the canyon wall back up to his car impossible for him, let alone having to carry an unconscious Pepper in his arms, as well.

Just then, he spied a dirt road, across the river, that led back into the trees. Only about a hundred yards from where he and Pepper currently were, was a narrower, shallower, part of the river that would allow them to cross to the other side. He decided he had to try to see what was at the end of that road. If there wasn't anything they could take shelter in, then at least they'd be in the trees, and off the river, exposed to the elements like they were now. _And we'll just have to improvise the rest until morning,_ he thought. _If we make it that long._

He carefully hoisted Pepper up into his arms, her long heavy wool coat she wore adding to the weight because of it being drenched by the river water and wet snowfall. Underneath it, she wore only a sleeveless, emerald green evening gown, hardly cold-weather wear. His attire wasn't much better _._ He was dressed in a black Armani tux, and hadn't worn an outer coat, regretfully. "Okay, Pep. Let's find some place warm to hole up, huh?" he muttered to her hopefully, as he began their trek down river to the narrow crossing.

He stepped carefully, and thoughtfully, along the bank toward the crossing, the illumination from the headlights of her car guiding him only part way. Once he reached it, he took a step downward, and quickly felt the icy chill of the river water filled his black dress shoes, stabbing his feet and ankles with a million tiny, jolting pin pricks. "Yeeeeeahhhh, that's cold. _Wow._ Okay," he said as he carefully stepped, one foot at a time through the water, wading across the river, each step more precarious than the last. He stumbled on the uneven rocks of the riverbed below his feet a number of times, but managed to stay somewhat upright, and to keep Pepper held tight in his arms.

At last, he'd made it across the narrow, and back up on to the bank. He heaved a heavy sigh once he'd reached his destination. "Okay," he said, looking back with relief. "Hard part's done."

But now, he hoped upon hope, that his journey down the dirt road, through the trees, wouldn't be in vain. He prayed there would be some kind of shelter they could take- _anything_ with at least three walls and a roof- just to hide out in until morning. "Okay, Pep. No time like the present, huh? _"_ he murmured to her, as he shifted her in his arms, and began to make his way again.

XxXxXxXxXx

Some time later, after lumbering through the trees down the road, the visibility reduced to almost nothing, and his shivering growing steadily more uncontrollable, Tony laid eyes on what he'd hoped he would find- a small, log cabin tucked back, deep within the trees. With great relief, and renewed vigor, he marched toward the door, Pepper still unconscious in his arms.

He stepped onto the front porch. The windows were dark, and the cabin appeared to have been vacated for quite some time, he guessed only because the winter season made it hard to access. He carefully laid Pepper down on a porch swing, suspended from the canopy over the porch, and searched for a way in. He searched for a spare key under the welcome mat laid in front of the screen door, and in the light fixture of the porch light above him, but found nothing. "Damn it," he muttered, hating to break a window. But really, he was left with no choice. So he fetched a small log from the wood pile off the side of the porch railing, opened the screen door, which whined with a loud _creak,_ and forcefully put the log through the bottom pane of glass in the window of the front door. It shattered, and he eyed Pepper for any sign the noise had awakened her. His worry for her was ever increasing in that she was still breathing on her own, but hadn't come to in all of the time since they'd left the river.

He turned his attention back to the door, and carefully reached his hand through the broken glass, twisting the lock on the doorknob to open it. He then pulled his arm free and twisted the door knob. It popped open, and Tony propped the screen door open with the log he'd used to break the window. Then he gingerly picked Pepper up off the porch swing, and brought her inside the cabin.

The living room, of course, was completely dark, but Tony managed to maneuver through it well enough to make it to the long, overstuffed sofa, which happened to be placed in front of a large, river-rock fireplace. Pepper didn't stir when he did this, and he watched her for a moment, smoothing his thumb over her cheek in concern, before he went to close the screen and the front doors.

He then quickly strode back over to the fireplace, and began to hurriedly crumple some newspaper he found sitting on the hearth, along with piling a bit of kindling he found in a bucket on top of it. "Matches, matches, matches," he murmured, searching the immediate area. But he came up short.

He frowned, and ran to the kitchen, yanking open drawers in search of anything that he could use to ignite the flame. He came across a small cigarette lighter. He brought it to his ear, and shook it. Very little fluid was left in it, much to his disappointment. But, it was better than nothing, so he ran back over to the fireplace, and flicked the lighter near a crumpled wad of newspaper stuffed inside. The lighter sparked, but didn't ignite. "Come on, come on," he begged, shaking the lighter in his hand and flicking the flint one more time. A small flame emerged, but quickly blew out. Tony grunted in frustration, and then flicked it hard one more time. A sizable flame appeared this time, and he quickly held it once more to some of the paper. A small, smoking, blue flame appeared, and then gradually grew, engulfing the small sticks and twigs he'd used for fire starter. It spread to the rest of the heap, and soon he and Pepper were awash in a warm orange glow. He sighed in relief at the sight, and laid three logs on top of the flames, grateful they'd found safety at last.

He watched the flames for a moment, as they began to dance, the wood popping and cracking from the ever-growing heat. He put his hands to the warmth, rubbing them and holding them up to the fire. He was just starting to get the feeling back in his fingers when he heard Pepper softly moan behind him. He quickly went to her side. "Pepper?" he said softly, hopefully. She frowned, and slowly rolled her head from side to side. She was shivering and groaning, her eyes still closed.

"I'm _here,_ Pep," he murmured to her, reassuring her. "You're okay. We're safe, now."

Slowly, Pepper opened her eyes to a squint and looked at him. She was shivering, but conscious at least now, and Tony smiled warmly at her. Pepper kept frowning, but rotated her eyes around the room, finally bringing her gaze back to him. "Wh-what happened? Wh-where _are_ we?" she asked softly.

Tony swallowed hard. "There was an accident," he explained. "You lost control of your car, and rolled it into the river. I saw the whole thing, and managed to pull you out. Then I found _this_ place, and..." he stopped, fearing he'd overwhelm her with the details. "You know what? Just rest, Pep. You've got a pretty good knot on your head, and we both need to warm up, so..."

"Th-that would ex-p-plain why my h-head h-hurts, and my t-teeth are ch-chattering out of my s-skull," she replied shakily. But she smiled, despite everything, and Tony smiled back, relieved she was responsive, and they were both relatively safe again.

"Yeah, we're both soaked," he said. "You should get outta those clothes. We _both_ should, uh... I mean, we..." he stammered, suddenly realizing what that must have sounded like.

Pepper smiled. "Tony S-Stark, d-don't t-tell me this w-was all a g-giant ploy to g-get me n-naked," she teased.

Tony chuckled. "For _once,_ it's _not,_ " he replied back teasingly, with a knowing smirk. "Glad to see you haven't lost your wit in all of this, Potts."

Pepper moved to sit up, but quickly felt light-headed, and Tony grabbed her upper arm to steady her, and to help her lie back down. "Whoa, whoa. Too much too fast, kiddo," he said. "Take it slow."

Pepper smiled and nodded, closing her eyes. "I th-think you're right," she agreed. "But this coat is as g-good as a wet r-rag, right n-now. Can you help me get it o-off, at least?" she asked him.

Tony nodded, and Pepper gingerly moved to slip her arms out from the sleeves, Tony working to help her. She moved to get it out from underneath her body, and he took it from her once it was free, hanging it over the back of a nearby arm chair to dry. Pepper was still shivering violently, and Tony looked around for a blanket she could wrap herself in. A large trunk sat next to the sofa as an end table, and Tony had a hunch he'd find one there. He moved a lamp sitting on top of it to the floor, and opened the trunk to find a large patchwork quilt folded inside. "Bingo," he said, as he pulled it out, and unfolded it, working to drape it over his shivering assistant. She thanked him, and pulled it up over her bare shoulders, snuggling further into the overstuffed couch cushions. Tony sat back down on his knees in front of her, and vigorously rubbed her arms, working to try to warm her. They gazed at each other, Pepper in appreciation of his care and concern for her well-being, and he in appreciation that she was even still _alive._

Her shivering began to subside, and she smiled softly at her boss. He smiled back. "Better?" he asked hopefully.

She nodded. " _Much,_ " she replied.

Tony smiled and nodded, and turned to sit on the floor in front of her to continue warming himself. He watched the flames, his own chill quickly dissipating, and his body now growing weary from the stress and exertion. He worked his jaw in thought of what had taken place, still trying to process how easily Pepper could have slipped away from him in that moment, and how alone he would have felt out there, in the cold and the darkness.

Pepper remained quiet, and several minutes passed before she chose to speak again. "Tony?" she murmured.

"Hmmm? What, Pep?" he said, coming out of his reverie to look at her.

She smiled. "Thank you," she said simply.

He looked at her curiously. "For what?" he asked, with a smirk. "For not leaving you upside down in a flooding car in the river in the middle of a blizzard?" he joked. "Yeah, I'd pretty much be the world's biggest asshole if I _didn't_ rescue you, Pep."

They both chuckled. "Well, thank you for not being the world's biggest asshole, then," she replied.

Tony chuckled again, and made a gracious, bow-like motion. "You're most welcome," he joked back. "It's almost the end of the year, and I have a quota of good Samaritan moments I have to fill, so there you go. You were just lucky enough to be the recipient of one. Feel honored yet, Potts?" he teased.

Pepper chuckled. " _Very,_ " she teased. "I know how _rare_ these moments _are_ for you."

"Yeah, well, don't go thinking you'll be that lucky the _next_ time you decide to wreck your car, alright?" he warned playfully.

" _About_ that," Pepper said. "What _happened,_ exactly?"

Tony turned to look at her, frowning. "You...don't _remember?_ " he asked, curiously.

Pepper shook her head. "I _don't,_ " she answered.

Tony shrugged. "All I know is, I saw your taillights ahead of me one minute, and they disappeared the next. I saw your car flip and roll over the guard railing. It skidded down the hill and into the river on its roof. That's when I climbed down the hill and pulled you out of the car. You were unconscious, and not breathing, but you still had a pulse. So I gave you mouth-to-mouth, and..."

Pepper gasped, her eyes wide. "You _did?!_ " she exclaimed, in a breathless whisper.

Tony smiled at her sheepishly and shrugged again. "Yeeeahhhh, why? What are you, afraid of getting cooties or something?" he joked awkwardly.

Pepper just looked at him in amazement. "I really _do_ owe you my life, then," she murmured.

Tony just smiled awkwardly, and gave her an impish look. "Um...I was, uh...I was gonna try to find us some clothes to change into, wasn't I? We won't be able to get warm in _this_ wet stuff," he stated, quickly getting to his feet, and walking out of the room in the direction of some bedrooms.

Pepper blushed and smiled to herself at how valiant Tony's efforts had been. But then a stabbing pain in her forehead gripped her, and she winced, inhaling sharply through her teeth, forgetting all admiring thoughts of her boss.

"And something for pain? If you can find it?" she called out.

"Got it!" she heard Tony answer from the other room.

She closed her eyes, and took some deep breaths. She felt light-headed, and her stomach was a bit queasy. Pepper figured she'd sustained a bad concussion, and knew it wouldn't be of much use to try to get off the couch to help him, given she had trouble even keeping her balance sitting up. So she contented herself with lying on the couch, under the quilt, feeling the warmth of the fireplace melt the chill in her bones away. She could feel fatigue starting to set in, and she closed her eyes to rest for only a moment, her breathing settling into a relaxed rhythm.

Tony came back moments later, to find her unconscious again on the couch and he instantly panicked. "Pepper?!" he gasped, coming to his knees in front of her, his eyes filled with worry. He jostled her gently, and she moaned. He sighed heavily with relief at the sound. "Don't freak me out like that, Potts," he warned breathlessly. "I thought you'd...you'd..."

"I just dozed off, Tony," she reassured. She smiled, and chuckled sympathetically. "I'm _sorry._ I didn't mean to scare you."

He took one of her hands in his, and patted it sweetly, nodding. "It's okay, Pep. I'm just...a little _jumpy,_ guess," he explained, turning back around to sit in front of her. He reached inside his tux jacket pocket to produce a bottle of Ibuprofen. "Here," he said, handing it to her. "It's all I could find."

"This'll do," she assured him. She opened the bottle, and popped two of the pills, swallowing them down. She replaced the cap and handed it back to him. "I don't blame you," she said. "After what you said happened, I can only imagine your nerves are a little shot."

Tony smiled and nodded. "You could say that, yeah," he agreed. He took a deep breath, and scrubbed a hand over his face. He shook his head. "I don't suppose there's much we'll be able to do until morning, right? In the way of getting back to civilization?"

Pepper shook her head. "No, I suppose not," she said. "I'm just happy we're stuck _here,_ though, and not out _there,_ " she said. "Thank goodness for small miracles."

"Yeah," Tony agreed, nodding. He nodded toward the back of the couch, where he'd laid what he'd found in the closets and drawers of the bedrooms. "I found us some new duds that might work for the time being, too, if you're still interested."

"Sounds great, if only the room would stop spinning," Pepper said. "I'm not even able to sit up under my own volition, right now."

Tony chuckled, and dismissed her with a waive of his hand. "No rush, Pep. You've stopped shivering. That must be a good sign. So take your time," he urged. "In the _meantime,"_ he said, his voice strained as he hoisted himself back up off the floor. " _I'm_ gonna go change. Besides the fact that I'm still freezing my ass off, I suddenly find I'm a trifle over dressed for this occasion," he joked.

Pepper giggled. He winked and smiled at her, before walking back toward the bedrooms. And she _kept_ smiling long after he'd left her presence, as well.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, again!**

 **I'm glad you guys are back for more holiday cheer this year! I had a blast writing "A Very Pepperony Christmas" last year, and can hardly wait to tear into this one. I hope I can make it feel just as warm and cozy and I tried to make that one feel, only in a very different setting this time. I couldn't shake the idea of Tony and Pepper being in a situation like this one, especially for Christmas. So, here we are! I hope it's as much fun for you to read as it is for me to write!**

 **Happy Reading! :D**

Tony went back down the hall and into a back bedroom to change clothes. He flipped on a bedside lamp, and proceeded to unbutton his shirt. As he removed it, he realized how much of Pepper's blood had got on the front of it. He frowned at the sight, sorry that she'd gone through something so traumatic. "Poor kid," he muttered, laying the shirt on a chair across from the bed.

He'd found a long-sleeved thermal undershirt, and a flannel outer shirt to wear along with a pair of navy blue sweats for bottoms, as well as some heavy wool socks, which he was eternal grateful for. He quickly changed, and left the bedroom in search of any first aid supplies he could use to clean up the nasty bruised gash on Pepper's forehead. He searched the bathroom cabinets, and found only a few small gauze pads, and a bottle of peroxide. "Better than nothing," he told himself. He left the bathroom, and walked back toward the living room with what he'd gathered to find Pepper asleep on the couch again. He smiled this time, as he could see her chest rising and fall with each soft breath. He set the gauze pads and peroxide on the trunk next to the sofa and sat down carefully at her feet so as not to disturb her. Pepper instinctively stretched her legs out and rested her feet over his lap in her sleep. He smiled again, and patted her ankles affectionately. Then he shifted in his seat so he could rest his head against the back of the couch. He closed his eyes, feeling the fatigue from everything that had happened seep into his body and start to lull his mind to sleep. His eyelids drifted close and soon he dozed off, the both of them in a soft slumber in front of the fire.

XxXxXxXxXx

The next morning, Pepper slowly opened her eyes to find herself stretched out on the sofa, her feet resting gently in Tony's lap. His hand was resting on her ankle, and he was still asleep. Her first instinct was to quickly pull her feet back and out of his way, but she suddenly thought the better of it, realizing she'd probably awaken him with any swift motion. However, as she slowly moved to sit up, he stirred and gradually opened his eyes to look at her. She gave him a sheepish smile, and he smiled softly back. "'Morning," he grunted hoarsely, reaching his hands above his head, and stretching his body.

She awkwardly tucked her hair behind her ears, and nodded. "Good morning," she replied. "I guess we _both_ were feeling the affects of last night, huh?"

Tony finished stretching and nodded. "Yeah, I guess so," he said, with an impish grin. Then his eyebrows shot up. "Oh! I almost forgot!" he exclaimed, suddenly remembering his findings in the way of first aid. He reached for the gauze pads and peroxide he'd found, and slid off the couch, coming to rest in front of her on his knees. Pepper watched as he opened the bottle and dabbed a piece of gauze over the opening. "Here," he said, handing it to her. "I figured a little cleanup was in order. No ointment or band-aids, though, unfortunately."

Pepper thanked him and graciously took the gauze, dabbing at the gash on her forehead. She winced at the pain, but continued her work, periodically looking at the dried blood she was removing from the area. "How's it look?" she asked him after a moment.

"Purple," Tony quipped, smirking. "And painful."

"It _is,_ " Pepper affirmed. "But this is helping, I think."

Tony moistened another gauze pad. "Here, Pep. Let me help," he said.

Pepper obliged him, leaning slightly forward so he could help to clean off the rest of the dried blood that had run down her forehead. She gazed at him as he worked, and when he was done, he gave her a proud smile. "There. Good as new. _Well. Almost,_ " he said, smiling warmly when he finished.

Pepper chuckled, blushing. She averted her eyes for a moment, before bringing them back to his. They held each other's gaze for a brief moment.

"Thank you," Pepper murmured. " _Again,_ I mean. I owe you..."

" _Nothing,"_ Tony murmured back, humbly. "You owe me _nothing,_ Potts. Don't give it another thought."

" _Well,"_ Pepper muttered bashfully. She took a deep breath, and looked around, surveying their temporary shelter in the broad daylight. The walls were hand-hewn stripped logs, with thick, white chinking in between them. The perimeter was almost all windows, with nearly a 360 degree view of the wilderness outside, though the bottom half of all of the windows were covered with what appeared to be hand-made, lace curtains that provided a filter for the light coming in. The ceiling was sloped, following the roof line, up to what she could estimate was around 15-20 feet at its tallest point. The floors were hardwood through out, and honey yellow in color, the planks wide and uneven in texture. A large, woven rug made from strips of fabric scraps covered the floor beneath the sofa in a wide oval, and what appeared to be a heavy, wood, square coffee table sat in front of it, which was in front of the hearth of the fireplace. The fireplace stood like a monolith as the center piece of the whole space, separating the kitchen and dining areas from the living area, its broad river-rock covered chimney reaching clear to the peak in the ceiling. It had a deep, slate hearth, perfect for sitting on to warm yourself from the cold. The living area was large, with an open-style kitchen at one end, and a dining area at the other, on the backside of the fireplace. A hallway was just off the living room that she could only guess must have included entrances to at least one bedroom and a bathroom.

The furniture was an eclectic collection, clearly ranging in style from the 1950's to the 70's, probably from generations having contributed to it over the years, she guessed. Vintage pictures and decorative wall hangings adorned the walls of the room and hallway, giving it a warm, personal touch. In short, it was a very homey, and comfortable space, brightly lit from the outside light coming in, and she imagined that many happy summers had been spent there by the family who owned it. "It's certainly... _cozy,_ isn't it," she remarked thoughtfully, bringing her eyes back to Tony, and smiling.

He nodded and looked around as well. "Yeah, as cabins go, I guess," he said. "Not a bad place to be in _these_ circumstances, anyway."

Pepper shook her head in agreement. She glanced out of the windows, and frowned. "It looks like we're in for the duration, too," she commented, nodding toward the weather outside, which was still a frigid blizzard.

Tony glanced to where she was looking, and frowned. He nodded. "Yep, sure does," he agreed. "Funny. I heard _nothing_ about a blizzard coming. If we'd have known, I would have insisted we stay somewhere closer to the symposium. And _you_ would never have had that _accident_ ," he said, regretfully.

Pepper smiled softly. "What's done is done, Tony. Don't blame yourself. There's no way you could have known," she assured him. She surveyed herself, and took a deep breath. "Well," she said resolutely. "I'd say it's time I get changed. You said you'd found me some clothes?"

Tony nodded and stood up, handing her what he'd found from where he'd laid them on the back of the couch. She graciously accepted them, and moved to get up. "After _that,_ I think it's time we scrounge up some breakfast, huh? What do you say?" Tony asked, holding out a hand to help her up.

"Sounds _fantastic,"_ Pepper replied, accepting his hand and moving to slowly come to a standing position.

Tony helped to steady her. "You got it? You good?" he asked. Pepper nodded and smiled warmly. He smiled back.

"See? You're _already_ on the mend," he said hopefully. "Go change, Potts. And I'll meet you in the kitchen."

Pepper smiled in agreement, and Tony winked and smiled back at her before leaving her side to head for the kitchen. Pepper smiled to herself once he was out of view, and headed down the hallway to the bathroom to change.

XxXxXxXxXx

Tony began opening the cupboards to survey their supplies. There were a few canned items, mostly consisting of things like beans and canned fruit. Tony furrowed his brow, and worked his jaw as he took inventory of their stores.

A few moments later, Pepper joined him, dressed in a heavy grey hoodie sweatshirt that hung past her behind to the tops of her thighs, and some waffle-cut thermal long john bottoms, which were a bit big, and bunched together at the ankles, but would certainly do. She, too, wore a pair of heavy wool socks, the second pair Tony had found in a dresser drawer- all much warmer than the green evening gown she'd had on, and she appeared contented with his findings.

Tony smiled at the sight of her, and she smiled happily back. " _Much_ better, right?" he said.

Pepper nodded. " _Yes._ _Thank_ you," she affirmed. Tony nodded and then resumed searching the cabinets, and Pepper joined in to help.

"I found some flour," she said optimistically after a moment, as she opened an aluminum canister she'd found. She then set it on the counter, and went back to her search. A moment later she let out a happy "Ahhhh. _There_ we are," and Tony looked over his shoulder at her to see what she'd come across.

She proudly held up a yellow box with red writing to show him. " _Pancake mix,_ " she purred, with an excited smile.

"Oh, Potts, you are _awesome,"_ Tony cooed gratefully. They both chuckled, and Pepper began searching for a bowl, a skillet, a measuring cup, and a spatula. It didn't take long to find the needed implements, but when she went to fill the measuring cup with some water to make the batter, the faucet spluttered and hissed, with nothing to show for it. "Uh-oh," she said, frowning with momentary worry.

"Let me take a look, Pep," Tony urged. Pepper stepped to the side to allow his access to the cabinet beneath the sink. Tony twisted the valves open on the hot and cold water, but nothing happened.

"Gimme a sec to find the main water shut off. This place was probably winterized," he explained, crawling back out from inside the cabinet to a standing position. He disappeared down the hall, and Pepper stood there, listening and watching for any sign he'd found it. A moment later, she heard the sound of a valve being opened, and the clicking of breakers being flipped. The faucet began to splutter again, and soon, clear water was flowing from the tap. "Got it!" Pepper called out.

Tony ran back into the kitchen. "We got it? _Good,_ " he replied, smiling. "See? I'm a handy guy to have around, right?" he said, half-joking.

Pepper chuckled and nodded. "You _are,_ Tony. You've more than earned your gold star, I'd say," she joked back, as she filled her measuring cup. "You've saved _me,_ and now _breakfast!"_

Tony gave her a prideful smile, looking at her like he wanted a pat on the head, and Pepper giggled.

"I flipped the breaker on the water heater, too," he informed her.

"Good thinking. We'll need it for the dishes afterwards," she said, shutting off the faucet. She carried her filled measuring cup back over to her bowl full of pancake mix and slowly poured it in.

"I was thinking more along the lines of a _shower,_ " Tony commented, his voice a low purr. But he quickly back-peddled, as Pepper's eyes went wide with alarm, and she instantly stopped stirring the contents of her bowl to look at him, not being able to help a coy smirk from raising the corners of her mouth. He immediately spluttered and stammered as he held up his hands in defense, and gave her an impish smile. "Whoa, I didn't mean...not _together,_ Potts. No. I meant, you and me... _separately,_ showering." He cleared his throat awkwardly, and Pepper rolled her eyes and shook her head, grinning.

"I _know_ what you meant, Tony," she assured, still smiling to herself in amusement at him stumbling all over himself to back out of his insinuation. She heard him let out a quiet sigh of relief behind her, which made her grin all the more. "See if you can find something that could pass for maple syrup, would you?" she requested, trying to easy them away from the awkwardness.

"Syrup. On it," Tony said. He rifled through the upper and lower cabinets as she poured and flipped pancakes. Finally, in the back of a corner cabinet, he found an almost empty bottle of maple syrup.

He held it up for Pepper's approval, but she frowned. "There isn't much left, is there," she said. "Oh, wait!" she cried suddenly, waggling a finger at him. She quickly spun around, and pulled open the refrigerator door to produce a jar of grape jelly. " _This_ might do in a pinch," she announced, handing it to Tony.

He took it, tossing it in his hand. He looked at it, and then smirked at her. "Resourceful," he said. Pepper smiled proudly back, and Tony went to put both containers on the table. He took a seat in one of the burnt orange-colored, vinyl-upholstered, high-backed chairs tucked under the 50's era marble-patterned Formica table, and waited for Pepper to finish their stack of flapjacks. He watched her in admiration as she worked, not being able to help feeling very at ease and almost... _happy_ they were together, in this place. It was only a couple of days before Christmas, and he knew they'd have to make a break for it as soon as the storm let up to try to get back to civilization in time for the holiday. But at this moment, it seemed time was at a stand still. And it was just him and she, there for the sole purpose of keeping each other company during this temporary hiatus from the rest of the world.

"Okay," Pepper said, as she finished the last pancake, and piled it on top of the stack she'd created. She turned off the burner, moved the skillet to the back of the stove to cool down, and grabbed their breakfast off the counter. She turned around and Tony purred with approval. "Looks _amazing,_ Pep," he said, as she sat them down in the center of the table.

"They certainly _do,_ " she said in agreement. She left his side to find some plates, and forks and knives. She quickly returned with two of each and set the table. Tony immediately took hold of his fork and stabbed three of the large pancakes off the top of the stack, and hoisted them onto his plate. Then he began slathering grape jelly on each of them.

Pepper realized they'd found nothing to drink, and frowned. "We need something to wash this down with," she remarked.

Tony jabbed his fork in the direction of the sink. "Water," he said, simply.

She winced with apprehension. "Do...do you think it's safe?" she asked him.

He stopped and looked at her. "Well, number one, we're in the mountains. So, the water supply is from the snow pack up high, and it drains down into the river, getting filtered along the way. And since the river's right _here,_ the water table's not that deep, so they've most likely dug a well, since we're nowhere _close_ to any municipality to pipe it in from," he rattled off, matter-of-fact. "And number 2? I haven't spotted any evidence that they bring in an alternate supply. No water jugs, no storage tanks..."

"So...it's _safe,_ then, you're saying?" Pepper asked sheepishly.

Tony chuckled and nodded. "Yes, Pep," he assured her. "It's _safe._ Safe _enough,_ anyway."

Pepper softened, and gave him an appreciative smile. He shrugged and went back to his pancakes. Pepper walked back to the cupboards to find two water glasses. She quickly returned, her hands carrying two glasses, both full of tap water, and set them down in front of each of their plates. Then she seated herself across from Tony and loaded two pancakes onto her plate. She grabbed the maple syrup, and then looked at Tony questioningly.

"Since _when_ do you not eat maple syrup on your pancakes?" she asked inquisitively, with a smirk.

Tony shrugged, and smiled. "Since this morning when I found out it was in short supply," he said, gesturing toward the near-empty bottle. "Plus, I wanted to give _you_ the privilege, first. You're the chef, only because _I'm_ all thumbs in the kitchen. Otherwise, I'd have you resting on the couch, and I'd be handling the cooking. So consider it an act of gratitude," he informed her, smirking back at her.

Pepper chuckled, and bowed her head graciously. "Well, _thank_ you, and it's well noted," she replied. They both ate in silence for a few moments before either one of them spoke again, the pancakes quickly satisfying both of their voracious appetites.

Tony drained his glass of water, and stood up to get a refill. He noticed Pepper's glass was almost empty, and gestured to it, cocking an eyebrow questioningly. She nodded, quickly drinking the remainder, and handed it to him. He walked to the sink and refilled them both, and then returned to the table, setting the glasses down in their respective places. Pepper thanked him. He nodded and smiled, and went back to eating.

But soon he noticed Pepper's eyes were still on him. He paused, and looked up from his plate to meet her gaze. "What?" he asked her apprehensively, his mouth full of pancake.

Pepper blushed, and quickly averted her eyes. "Huh? Oh! _Nothing._ I'm sorry, I was just...I didn't mean to stare," she explained.

Tony looked at her curiously and smiled, and then went back to eating. Pepper shifted her eyes to look out the dining room window, watching the snow fall. Truthfully, she'd got lost in thought at how caring, and concerned, Tony had been for her since last night. It wasn't a secret that he was usually very self-absorbed, but, for whatever reason, that care and concern wasn't showing signs of stopping any time soon. She was lucky to be alive, thanks to his rescue, and was also lucky she only sustained a bump on the head. Clearly, she was up and around, and, like he'd said, apparently on the road to recovery, now. Yet, his looking after her was still in full swing. And, _honestly?_ She was finding it hard not to _enjoy_ it.

"Pep?" she heard Tony say. Pepper came out of her reverie, and turned her eyes back to meet his. He was looked at her expectantly.

She blinked and shook her head, smiling sheepishly. "I'm _sorry,_ did you say something?" she asked.

"Um...yeah. I asked if you'd come across any coffee," he said awkwardly. Then her frowned, and looked at her curiously. "You okay? You seem...kinda _distant,"_ he remarked. "Your head hurting again?" he asked.

Pepper smiled, and put her hand to the bump on her head, which, oddly enough, _had_ begun to throb again. "Um, y-yes, as a matter of fact. I suppose I should go lie down again," she said.

Tony nodded. "You bet. You go take it easy. I'll handle _this,_ " he said, gesturing to the remnants of their eaten breakfast.

Pepper giggled. " _You? Dishes?"_ she teased.

Tony looked at her with mock indignance. "Hey! I've been known to wash a dish or two in my life time!" he teased back.

"In your _whole_ lifetime _,_ maybe," Pepper joked, as she got up from the table and made for the living room.

"I'll show _you,_ Pepper Potts. I can be domestic when I wanna be," Tony called after her. "You just wait and see."

Pepper chuckled, and then went to sit down on the sofa, but paused, as she noticed the fire Tony had started the night before was just a pile of glowing coals now. She reached for a log to throw on to reignite it, but was met with a stabbing pain in her forehead. "Uh!" she cried, squeezing her eyes shut and falling suddenly to her knees.

Tony heard this, and came running. "Pepper?!" he called out to her, just before he saw her fall to the ground. "Shit!" he exclaimed, coming to her side in a panic. "Talk to me, Pep. What going on?!" he asked frantically, watching her with wide eyes.

"My head," she murmured breathlessly. "It _really_ hurts. And...and the room is spinning, again."

Tony took her hand, and brushed her hair back behind one of her ears. "It's alright. Just take a minute, and then we'll get you to the couch, and you can lie down. Okay?" he told her.

Pepper nodded, closing her eyes as she took some deep breaths. Tony rubbed her hand in his, watching her trepidatiously. A few moments later, she opened her eyes to meet his, and he searched her face for some indication she was okay.

She smiled weakly. "Help me to the couch?" she asked in a soft voice.

Tony nodded, and then got to one knee as Pepper hoisted herself slowly up, keeping a hold of his hand for support. Tony put his arm around her shoulders once they'd both made it to a standing position, and then he eased her over to the couch, lowering her down onto the cushions once they'd reached it. Pepper moved to lay down, and Tony pulled the quilt he'd found her the night before back up over her shoulders. "That's it, Pep. Just take it easy," he murmured to her. Pepper nodded, and smiled weakly at him before closing her eyes, her breathing settling into a slow, soft rhythm as she dozed off. Tony watched her for a moment, his brow furrowed. When he felt assured she was okay for the time being, he turned to put more wood on the fire, before returning to the kitchen to clean up.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, all! Don't know how much I'll be able to update between now and Christmas (I've got family coming tomorrow for the holiday), but I promise I will update ASAP, as much as possible! Until then, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy Reading! :D**

 _The night before..._

Pepper had just arrived to the Gala- a kind of concluding party/ holiday celebration at a mountain resort for the technology symposium the she and Tony had attended during the three days before in an adjacent town. Several of the attendees had taken the opportunity to leave the symposium and drive up to the resort early to go skiing before the gala. And while neither Tony nor Pepper were skiers, that night's party was still considered a bit of a getaway for each of them respectively, to conclude a very stressful, yet productive year at Stark Industries. She knew that both of them had appreciated getting out of the city for a while, and to see some beautiful scenery while having the chance to unwind a bit.

She was dressed in an emerald green evening gown, that had one cross-shoulder strap, which was beaded. The bodice was gathered, with an empire waist and a long flowing, satin skirt. She wore her hair in long waves and pinned up on the sides with two beaded silver combs, and dangley tear-drop emerald earrings to match her dress- a Christmas gift from Tony. _Well._ Not _directly._ But _paid_ for by Tony, at his behest, since he was generally hopeless at gift giving for any occasion, and usually just told her to treat herself to whatever she wanted for whatever occasion was occurring at the time.

She walked among the other formally dressed people in the room, each of them engaged in conversations she caught small snippets of as she passed them by, their voices watery and muted otherwise. It was a dull hum over the soft Christmas music being played by the instrumental jazz band in the corner of the gathering hall, which was lavishly decorated with red, gold, and green holiday decorations, making the space feel very warm and festive. She realized it was a shot in the dark for Tony to have arrived before she had, but as soon as she'd entered the room, she instinctively began to scan the crowd of patrons for him anyway.

She eventually made it across the room to the bar, and the bartender immediately asked her what she'd like. "Martini...extra dry, extra..."

"Olives?" a familiar voice said behind her, finishing her request.

She turned around to see Tony, looking dapper as ever in his black Armani tux. He moved around to the side of her, and leaned an elbow on the bar, smirking, his eyes sparkling with humor. She smiled bashfully.

"Yes, extra olives," she told the bartender. He nodded and began to mix her drink, and Pepper turned back to Tony. She chuckled sheepishly, and shook her head. "You just pop out of the wood work sometimes, don't you?" she teased. They both chuckled. "Have you been here long?" she asked.

Tony shrugged and shook his head. "Not really. But I beat _you_ here, I see," he joked.

Pepper looked at herself and smiled bashfully. "Well, this was one of those rare occasions where I might have had to take a bit more time to get ready than _you_ did," she joked back.

"That might be true, Potts. But _look_ at you. _You_ look," he said, surveying her from top to bottom and back up again. He cleared his throat awkwardly, " _Ravishing,_ " he said quickly, followed by, "Is that _new?_ It's a _great_ color. On _you._ I mean, it's a great color, anyway. It's _festive,_ what with _Christmas,_ and all," he babbled awkwardly, standing up to shove his hands in his pants pockets. He cleared his throat again, and averted his eyes to the other attendees. Pepper thought she detected a slight blush in his cheeks, which made her give him a wry smirk in return.

"Tony?" she said, and waited for him to turn his eyes back to her.

"Hmmm? Yeah, Pep?" he asked, dragging his gaze back to hers.

She smiled politely this time. "I was just going to say, thank you for the compliment? And as a matter of fact, _yes._ It _is_ new. I bought it just for this occasion, actually. And the earrings are..." she began.

"Hey, you wanna dance?" he asked, interrupting her, clearly not interested in listening to the rest of her answer to his question.

Pepper frowned, bemused. "What? No, I'm fine. I was just going to..."

"Yeah, we should. Come on, Potts. Let's cut a little rug, huh?" he said, ignoring her again, and reaching for her hand. He pulled her toward the dance floor just as the bartender was serving her drink. He looked at Pepper questioningly, and she gave him an apologetic smile, to which he groused and poured out the glass, muttering under his breath, and rolling his eyes.

Tony, oblivious to all of it, took position with Pepper in the middle of the dance floor. Her cheeks instantly colored, as she felt the room's eyes on the two of them. She could only imagine what they were all thinking and murmuring to each other. Tony pulled her close and laid his hand flat on her lower back as they began to sway. Despite her hesitation, she did notice his warm, spicy scent, and his soft breath on the bare skin of her upper arm. It made her spine tingle, and her stomach flutter involuntarily. Pepper wondered, for what had to be the millionth time in all of the years she'd been his assistant, _why_ that _still_ happened whenever he was close by. However, she was avoiding his gaze to prevent any other involuntary reactions from happening, and instead surveyed the on-lookers over his shoulders while self-consciously biting her lips together in the meantime to steady herself.

Tony noticed this. " _Relax,_ Potts," he murmured to her. "Let 'em stare. They have the privilege of feasting their eyes on the two best looking people in the room, and they're _green_ with envy," he said. He chuckled. "As _green_ as your dress, in fact," he joked.

Pepper scoffed, and turned her eyes to him. He was smirking, but also gazing at her in adoration, which only made her frown. "I think they're thinking something _far_ different than _that,_ " she argued. "In fact, I'd almost _bet_ on it."

"Oh, yeah? And what would that _be,_ exactly?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow and still smirking.

Pepper frowned. "That maybe I'm only a few opened zipper teeth away from giving up the goods to the world-famous charms of Tony Stark?, And, thereby, giving you the opportunity to carve another notch in your bed post?" she blurted out. Tony startled at the abruptness of her words. Pepper winced, and bit her lips back together again. _"Wow,_ " she breathed, instantly regretting being so defensive. So _mean,_ and so defensive.

Tony nodded, and swallowed hard, taking his eyes away from her for a moment. "Fair enough," he muttered hoarsely. He let a moment pass before he brought his gaze back to hers. But much to Pepper's surprise, a sly smirk crept across his lips. He shrugged. "I wouldn't blame you if you _did_. I mean, _honestly._ You can only keep your guard up for so long," he joked, trying to make light of the moment. "It's inevitable, you know. You. Me. It's bound to happen. Being in such close proximity all the time? The sexual tension is, to say the _least..."_

Pepper huffed, and looked away. "Wow! You are _oblivious_ to the concept of subtlety, _aren't_ you?" she stated in disbelief, interrupting _him_ this time. She _was_ sorry she'd been so harsh before, but his ego had quickly taken care of any remaining guilt she'd had, and now she was back to full-blown annoyance.

Tony raised his eyebrows, and look at her defensively. "I'm _not_ oblivious, Pep. More like... _unappreciative_ _,_ " he replied. "Why beat around the bush? I say, be direct. Tell it like it is. If there's _one_ thing, I know, it..."

Pepper pursed her lips and frowned at him with clear dismay.

Tony frowned and suddenly stopped talking. And swaying. "Boy, this is _really_ getting under your skin, isn't it?" he asked. He winced and leaned in. "Isn't this what we _do,_ Potts? Isn't this our... _game,_ you and I?"

Pepper shrugged. "No more than usual, Tony," she stated. "Though I have to say, I don't know if it's the elevation, or being away from the city that's making you feel more... _primeval_ , or what, but _tonight_ it seems you are..." she huffed. _"_ _Extra_ aggressive _,_ " she finished.

Tony frowned. " _Aggressive,"_ he repeated.

Pepper backtracked. "No, not _aggressive,_ I suppose. _Assertive._ Yes. _That's_ the word for it. Extra _assertive,_ " she explained.

"Assertive," Tony clarified.

"Yes."

"With you."

"Yes," Pepper said again. They were apart now, and staring silently at each other. And Pepper didn't notice the added attention of some very nosy patrons who were eagerly watching the drama unfold between them, as the music continued to drift over the air in background.

Tony smiled awkwardly, and nodded, smoothing a thoughtful hand over his goatee. Then he put his hands up and stepped back. "Okay, Pep. I can take a hint. We're done here. I'll leave you alone. Sorry to have intruded. You just um...have a nice evening, huh?" he said, his eyes narrow. He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but it looked more wounded than anything, as he spun around, and walked away, leaving her standing alone on the dance floor.

Pepper instantly became aware of the eyes on her, and she glowered at all of them. "Oh, what are all of _you_ looking at?" she muttered bitterly as she took off after Tony, who had headed in the direction of the upstairs balcony. It was a frosty December night, and she didn't relish the idea of going outside without a coat, but she couldn't let what had happened sit between them. He _had_ been more blatant with her, that much was true. But she had to admit, she _was_ feeling a bit romantic in this setting, too. It was hard _not_ to, truthfully. The snow was piled high in fluffy white drifts all around the grounds of the resort, and the pine tree limbs were covered in it, making them look like something off of a Christmas card. It was _quite_ picturesque, to say the least. And _tonight,_ with the light snow creating a frosty sparkle in the full moon light, it seemed extra enchanting.

She made her way up the grand staircase at the back of the hall to the second floor, and over to the balcony, which was on the north side of the building. The door leading outside was part of the all glass front facade of the resort, meaning that from the bottom of the first floor, all the way to the ceiling of the second was thick double-paned glass windows. And, much to Pepper's relief, she wasn't going to have to brave the cold to go after Tony after all. He was standing inside, watching the snow delicately fall. He had his back turned to her, and his hands were in his pants pockets. The area where he stood was darkened, illuminated only by the bright moonlight from outside.

Pepper quietly walked over to him, but he remained lost in thought, unaware she was approaching, on account of the thick-pile carpeting muffling her footsteps.

"Tony?" she said softly, once she'd reached his side.

He turned to look at her, surprised that she was there. She noticed a weak smile drift over his lips. Then he turned his head back toward the window, and began again to watch the snow fall, staying silent.

"What? No witty one-liner? No sarcasm?" she joked. But Tony didn't take the bait.

He stayed silent for a moment more before speaking. Pepper just fell silent, too, and watched him with trepidation.

"You know I like being around you, right, Pep?" he asked softly, still keeping his gaze trained on the view outside.

"Mmm hmm, yes," Pepper said, nodding politely.

Tony smiled a fleeting, soft smile. He turned his head to look at her, his eyes thoughtful. "I'm... _sorry, then,_ if I...made you feel...in _any_ way..." he started.

Pepper shook her head, and raised a dismissive hand. "It's forgiven," she replied. "Water under the bridge." She smiled to reassure him.

He smiled back, but it quickly faded. He worked his jaw for a moment in thought before speaking again. "Pepper, I don't have to tell you this time of year is rough for me," he said.

Pepper nodded. "I know it is, Tony," she agreed. "And rightfully so."

Tony slowly nodded. "Yeah," he muttered, glancing outside, and then back to her. This time, he smiled at her with appreciation. "But having someone like _you_ around? It's..." he said, his voice trailing off. He swallowed hard, and looked away from her again to gaze outside. Pepper suspected it was to hide the emotion of the moment, which made her heart ache for him, like it had so many times before.

Then, he turned and gently grasped one of her hands in both of his. He slowly brought it to his mouth, and kissed it, then patted it affectionately. "You're more valuable than you _know_ , Pep," he murmured, smiling. "I'm a lucky guy to even be in your presence."

Pepper just stared at him, speechlessly, struck again by another rare, unforeseen moment in which he was allowing himself to appear vulnerable to her. Pepper shook her head, dumbfounded at his expression of appreciation for her. "I don't know what to say," she finally squeaked out in a raspy murmur.

Tony stepped closer to her, and put his hand, which still held hers, to his chest. He delicately cupped her cheek with the other, and Pepper gazed into his eyes, the both of them silent, lost in the moment together.

Pepper raised her chin and inched even closer to his face, as years of blatant disregard for their mutual attraction emerged in all of its bright white glory, undeniable, just waiting for them to claim it for their own. It hovered over them like a glitter-filled water balloon, suspended in mid-air, ready to douse them in the truth of their feelings for each other. Millimeters now separated them, their lips so close that Pepper could feel, on an almost atomic level, the prickle of Tony's goatee on her chin. And then, all at once...

XxXxXxXxXx

Pepper awoke to the sensation of her arm being jiggled, and Tony softly calling her name. "Pep?" she heard him say once more, and she slowly opened her eyes to see him on his knees in front of her, his eyes full of concern.

She frowned. "What? What is it?" she asked softly.

"It's _you._ Are you okay? You were moaning in your sleep," he told her.

Pepper closed her eyes briefly again, and swallowed hard, trying to get her bearings. She nodded. "Yes. I'm fine," she said. She took a deep breath, and then reopened her eyes to look at him.

He smiled. "Good. Glad to hear it," he replied. "And guess what _I_ found?" he teased.

Pepper smiled, and sighed. "Coffee?" she asked, knowingly.

Tony grinned. " _Coffee,_ " he purred eagerly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! And Happy Reading! Again! :D**

Tony stood up, and extended a hand to help Pepper up off the couch, but she declined. "It's okay," she said, waving a hand in dismissal. "You go ahead. I'll be there in a second. I just need a moment."

Tony frowned, but nodded, and left to walk back into the kitchen. Pepper pursed her lips, and furrowed her brow, trying to recall the night before. This "dream" she'd had didn't seem like a dream at all- it felt more like a _memory._ And past that moment between she and Tony, alone on the balcony, she couldn't recall what happened after that. _Had_ they in fact, _kissed?_ Her stomach fluttered at the thought, and she instantly admonished herself for it. _Don't let your emotions run away with you,_ she scolded. Still, there was only one way to find out. She needed to ask Tony what happened.

She eased herself up off the couch, and walked into the kitchen to find him rooting through the cupboards. He noticed her presence, but didn't make eye contact. "Have you _come across..."_ he muttered curiously. _"_ A... _coffee pot?_ Or at least a tea kettle?" he asked, finally looking to her with eyebrows raised hopefully.

Pepper shook her head, and muttered a "no," in reply. And Tony pursed his lips with a huff.

"Damn," he said. "What good is coffee without a coffee pot?"

But soon he noticed Pepper wasn't paying attention, and instead was staring off into the middle distance, with a perplexed look on her face.

"Pep? Hello?" Tony said. He snapped his fingers in front of her, and she awakened out of her reverie, and smiled bashfully. "You okay?" he asked, smiling curiously.

"I'm fine," she replied. "A...coffee pot, you said?"

"Yeah. Or a tea kettle," Tony affirmed. "You seen one?"

Pepper nodded and walked to a corner cabinet where there was a lazy susan. She opened it, and spun around the top shelf to find a copper tea kettle. Tony purred with satisfaction. " _Awesome,_ " he cooed. "I am _jonesing_ for some caffeine, Potts. I'll tell you."

Pepper watched as he filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove. He turned on the burner, and spun around to lean against the counter, his arms folded and ankles crossed. "Boiling water. That is the official extent of my culinary abilities," he joked. But Pepper didn't laugh. "Oh, come _on,_ Pep. A little self-deprecating humor was never lost on you before."

"Tony, can I ask you something?" Pepper asked, furrowing her brow. He studied her face, his expression changing to one of curiosity.

"Shoot," he said simply.

"I had a dream, only...it didn't _feel_ like a dream. It felt more like a recollection. Of a _memory,_ " she explained. "So I need to know if it was something that actually happened. Because honestly? I don't remember much about last night."

"Understandable," Tony agreed. "What was it?"

"We were at the Gala," Pepper replied. "And...you pulled me onto the dance floor."

Tony looked at her, his eyes serious. "Mmmmkay," he said, with a lilt of caution in his voice.

"We danced for a moment, but then we started to argue. Does that sound right?" Pepper asked.

Tony swallowed hard. "Mmmm hmmm," he said softly.

Pepper nodded and continued. "You left, and I followed you. Up to that second floor balcony," she told him.

Tony stepped closer to her, looking at her as she closely recalled the details of the night before. He watched as the gears turned in her brain, trying to piece together the puzzle of what had happened between them, and wondering how close she would come to the truth.

Pepper continued. "We talked for a moment, and smoothed things over, and then..."

"And _then?_ " Tony said, unable to help the anxiousness of his voice.

Pepper flicked her eyes to his. "That's what I need to know," she said cautiously. "Did we..." she began, but hesitated nervously.

"Did we _what,_ Pep?" Tony urged gently, studying her face.

Pepper, in turn, stared into his eyes, unsure of what his reaction would be as soon as she said what she _assumed_ had happened. She swallowed hard. " _Kiss?_ " she asked in a soft whisper. "Did we _kiss?_ _Tony?_ "

They stood only inches apart, looking at each other intently. Tony took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. " _Well,"_ he murmured back to her. He cleared his throat, and worked his jaw for a moment. "You tell _me_ ," he said softly.

And gently, but swiftly, he captured Pepper's lips with his. Pepper let out a breathy moan, and let herself melt into his kiss. Tony cupped her cheek with one hand, and kissed her soundly. After several moments, he slowly broke it off, sighing with complete satisfaction before opening his eyes to gaze at a thunderstruck Pepper, who was having an extra difficult time staying steady on her feet at the moment, never mind her current state of health.

Tony smirked. "Ring any bells, Ms. Potts?" he teased.

Pepper gave him a dreamy grin. "So...we _did?"_ she asked. She slowly shook her head, and closed her eyes, trying desperately to connect all of the sensations she was feeling at that moment with what he was telling her had happened last night.

"That memorable, huh?" he joked again.

Pepper chuckled. "I'm sure it _was_ memorable. Or would have been, given different circumstances _,"_ she assured him. "I just wish I _could_ remember. As I said, last night is..."

"Still fuzzy. Right. But I'm sure it'll come to you. In the _meantime,_ " he said, shrugging ."Don't sweat it."

He wrapped his arms around Pepper's waist, and lowered his lips again to peck hers lovingly. Pepper kissed him back, and then giggled, and he smiled in reply. " _That_ is too much _fun._ Regardless," he purred. "Wouldn't you agree?"

A soft smile spread across Pepper's lips. "So _that's_ why you're being so nice to me?" she reasoned.

" _No._ I'm being _nice_ to you because I _care_ about you, and I almost _lost_ you last night," he answered. " _Plus,_ I want you _around..._ " he said, smirking playfully, and lowering his head. "For more of _this,_ " he purred before kissing her again. She chuckled and let him envelope their lips again, this time enjoying a little playful tongue flicking in and out of her mouth, which sent fireworks shooting up her spine and popping like canons in her brain.

In one movement, Tony turned her back to the counter, and picked her up, seating her between his legs on top of it. Pepper squeaked in surprise, and he smiled to himself, as their lip-lock picked up steam. He stroked her cheek with the tips of his fingers, brushing a stray lock of hair behind one ear as their kiss deepened.

But suddenly, the kettle began to whistle, and Tony groaned, reluctantly breaking the kiss. " _Coffee_ ," he grumbled.

"Coffee," Pepper replied, equally as deflated.

He patted her thigh and then turned to the side to allow Pepper to attend to the kettle. He watched as she removed it from the burner, and then spooned coffee grounds into a paper towel, enough for one cup. She then pulled the paper towel over the top of one of the mugs, and slowly poured the water over it, a little at a time, until it soaked through, and the mug was full. It was an inefficient, pains-taking process, but when she had filled the mug, she carefully removed the wet paper towel and grounds, and looked inside to see a cup of dark colored coffee. "Success," she murmured to herself, picking up the mug and handing it to a very grateful Tony. But when she handed him the mug, he accepted it, and then pulled her to him, planting another kiss on her lips. She giggled but went along, and when the kiss broke, he grinned. "Can't get enough of _that,"_ he purred in a low rumble.

Pepper smiled, and Tony bent to nibble her neck. She giggled and squealed, and batted him playfully away. He bit his lip coyly as she walked away, and then took a long pull off his coffee cup. "Ahhhhhh, nectar of the gods," he grunted. " _That's_ the stuff."

"How great can it be? Black coffee filtered through a paper towel," Pepper replied, as she worked to fill her own cup.

"Good enough to perk _me_ up. I needed a jolt in the _worst_ way. _Though,"_ he said, setting down his cup and coming up behind her. He ran his arms around her waist, and nuzzled her hair. She smiled, not minding the attention at all. " _Finally_ getting to cut loose with _you_ was a nice little wake up, too."

Pepper giggled. "Easy, there, Don Juan. We've kissed. We haven't _slept_ together. We may be currently co-habitating, but _sex_ is a _whole_ other matter," she informed him.

"Totally agree," he assured her. "I just meant that finally getting to kiss you...I mean, _again,_ was _exactly_ the pick me up I needed. _That,_ and..."

"Coffee?" Pepper said knowingly, finishing filling her mug. She turned around, mug in hand, and gave him a coy smile. His eyes sparkled in delight at the new found territory they'd reached together. She took a sip from her cup, and then set it down next to her on the counter.

Tony smoothed his hands over her upper arms, and looked at her intently.

"So, _why_ haven't you tried to kiss me before now? I mean since we got _here?"_ Pepper asked.

Tony shrugged. "I figured it would happen when it was gonna happen. No need to rush you. You weren't 100%, so I thought I'd just play nurse-maid for a while, and let you have your space. You have to know. I wanna do this _right,_ Pep," he told her.

Pepper smiled at his words, and laid her hands on his chest. "I want that _too,_ " she said. "And I need this to be for _real."_

 _"_ You mean, for _keeps,_ right?" Tony asked.

Pepper pursed her lips. "I mean we need to give this our best _shot,_ " she said. "You _know_ I don't take these things lightly."

Tony nodded."I _know,_ Pep," he assured her. He wrapped her hands in his at his chest.

"It's one thing for us to try everything to make it work, and it just doesn't. But it can't be because one of us is trying to drag the other one across the finish line," Pepper said.

"I _know,_ Pep," Tony said. He bent down to begin teasing her neck with soft, playful kisses.

Pepper tilted her head to the side, almost subconsciously, to allow him better access, but kept talking. "And once we leave here, we can't just be a foregone conclusion to each other. We have the real world to go back to. So we have to work to navigate this relationship _there,_ too," she informed him.

"I _know,_ Pep," Tony said again, his words muffled as he murmured them against her neck. He noticed goosebumps erupting on her skin, and smiled to himself at the effect he was having on her. He moved his hands from hers at his chest, and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"We have to go slow, we have to...to," Pepper said, her voice trailing off as Tony cupped her cheek and nibbled her earlobe playfully before tenderly kissing the area directly below it.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we have a _winner,_ " he purred with delight.

"I'm sorry, what was I saying?" Pepper asked dreamily.

Tony smirked, and then faked a thoughtful expression, as he raised back up to look at her. "Uh, something about how you _love_ what I'm doing to you right now, and only want _more,_ I believe?" he teased.

Pepper gave him a wry smile. "Got it. I'll stop talking now," she said, kissing him eagerly.

Tony chuckled back. "Good plan," he mumbled, as he began kissing her just as eagerly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello! Finally back from a long hiatus, and have been just itching to write! You might recognize a few details in this chapter that I've mentioned in other fics (no problem if you're not familiar with them. It won't impede your understanding at all.) I guess it's just hard for me to let go of my version of Pepper's backstory. Yes, we all know she was a model before she went into accounting, that much is true. But I have always imagined her to be someone with small town roots, who gained her very grounded perception of the world from her upbringing. Maybe one day I'll break away and invent another backstory for Pepper, who knows. Til' then,** **I hope it doesn't bore you! :D**

 **Happy Reading! And thank you for all of the reviews! They are such a treat! :D**

Tony and Pepper eagerly made out in the kitchen for several minutes more, and it grew more and more intense with each passing second. But suddenly, Pepper pulled back, and pressed her lips together, wincing.

Tony frowned. "What's wrong?" he asked breathlessly. "Is it your head again?"

Pepper just shook her head. "No, no. It's not that," she assured. She studied his face for a moment, and then gave him a reluctant grin. "I...just think we should slow down a little bit," she said softly.

Tony shook his head in confusion. "I don't understand, Pep," he said. "Aren't you _enjoying_ what we're doing?" he asked bemusedly.

Pepper smiled again, and cupped his cheek. "Of _course_ I am," she assured him.

"Well then?" he urged, smiling with encouragement. He affectionately began to run a hand up and down her body.

Pepper chuckled awkwardly, and reached up to peck his lips. Then she delicately ran the pad of her pointer finger over them. Tony captured her hand in his and promptly kissed her finger tip, and then brought that hand to his heart. Pepper watched him do this, and smiled at the gesture. He smiled back.

"Pepper, listen to me," he said softly. She flicked her eyes back up to his. "I _know_ what you're thinking. And I guess if I were in your position, I'd be thinking the same thing," he said.

She looked at him quizically. "Oh? And what am I thinking?" she challenged with a smirk. She cocked one eye brow.

Tony chuckled at her. "You are _thinking_ that we're moving too fast _and,"_ he said, moving to wrap his arms back around her waist. He rested his forehead against hers. "That all _I_ want to do is get you into bed, and then that's it for us. Am I right? Have I drawn the correct conclusion, Ms. Potts?" he teased, smirking.

Pepper chuckled again, her cheeks blushing. "Ummmmmm, you _could_ say that, yes," she admitted sheepishly. "But do you blame me, Tony? We both know you're not the most _experienced_ person on the planet when it comes to actually being in a relationship with someone. I think my having _some_ reservations about all of this is perfectly justified," she reasoned.

Tony nodded. "Agreed," he replied. Then he pursed his lips, and exhaled, shaking his head with disappointment. "Though I wish it wasn't that way, Pep," he said softly, his eyes regretful.

Pepper smiled sympathetically. "Just so we're _clear,_ " she murmured. "It _is_ a relationship that you're wanting out of all of this, right? Even after we leave _here?_ " she asked hopefully.

"Pep, I..." he began, but he hesitated. He searched her face for a moment, and saw a glimmer of disappointment ghost across her face when he didn't respond immediately. He smiled at how different the thoughts were that were going through his mind versus what she seemed to believe he was thinking. _Say it, you idiot! Just say it!,_ the little voice in his mind screamed at him. _"Love_ you," he blurted out suddenly. His eyebrows raised at the shock of what he'd just uttered, but then he smiled proudly at his announcement, relieved that he'd found the courage to be so honest and open with her.

But Pepper, on the other hand, looked at him in total alarm, her eyes wide. She stepped back, out of his arms, and swallowed hard, staring at him speechlessly.

Tony's smile faded, and he swallowed hard as well, the panic beginning to rise in him. "Pep-Pepper?" he asked cautiously.

"You... _love_ me? You honestly think you... _love_ me?" she asked, her voice not much more than a breathy gasp. "Do you even know what that _means?"_

Tony struggled for a response. "Uh...yeah? Yes? I..." he stammered. Then he frowned and shook his head. "Pepper, I don't get it. Don't you _want_ me to...I mean, isn't _that_ the... _goal,_ here?"

Pepper threw up her hands and spluttered. "Well... _yes,_ I suppose! But _Tony!_ We hardly _know_ each other! We..."

Tony frowned. "I wouldn't say _that,_ " he argued.

She continued. "I mean, _romantically._ Or even _personally_!" she replied.

"Oh, you know some pretty personal things about _me,_ Pepper! You can't deny _that!"_ he exclaimed.

" _Yes,_ but what do you know about _me?!"_ she asked, putting a hand to her chest.

Tony scoffed. "I know _plenty,_ " he replied.

"Oh, yeah?" Pepper said, folding her arms and cocking her head. "Then you should be able to answer some pretty basic questions, then, shouldn't you!"

Tony put his hands on his hips, and leaned against the counter. "Okay, Potts. Come on. Lay it on me. I know you want to," he said, gesturing to her in a bring-it-on manner. He then folded his arms smugly, and smirked at her. "You don't think I'm up to the challenge? Then I _dare_ you. Give me your toughest questions. Fire away," he challenged.

Pepper huffed in annoyance. " _Fine,_ " she said. "But I'll start out with a simple one only because I know this will be over before it's begun," she jabbed back.

Tony shrugged indifferently. "Well, we shall _see,_ won't we," he replied.

"Mother's name," Pepper said flatly.

Tony winced and snapped his fingers as he tried to recall. "Ummm. Uh, M-Molly, Mary? M-mandy? No, that's not it. It's...I know it's an M-word," he babbled. Then he brightened and snapped his fingers. "Marilynn!" he finally spouted proudly, smirking. "Yeah. _That's_ the one. It's _Marilynn._ "

Pepper pursed her lips, and rolled her eyes. "Lucky guess," she muttered under her breath.

"Next?" Tony chirped, with a prideful grin.

Pepper narrowed her eyes as she thought for a moment. "Name of the town where I was born," she said.

Tony winced. "Uh... _yikes._ Okay. Would you settle for the _state?"_ he asked.

" _Annnnnnnd,_ we're done. That was fun. Thanks for playing," Pepper huffed, swiveling around on her heels.

"No, no, no, Pep. I'll get it. Okay? Hold on. Just um..." he said. He furrowed his brow, and shifted his gaze out the window, trying to remember as Pepper turned back around to face him, looking at him skeptically.

"The name of the town. The name of the town," he muttered to himself in thought. His eyes fell on the bend in the river that neared the vicinity of the cabin just outside, and his mind suddenly sparked. " _Two Rivers!"_ he barked, swiveling his head back to her. "It's Two Rivers! Right?"

Pepper gasped, and Tony gave her a cocky grin. He scratched his nose, and chuckled. "Two Rivers, _Kansas,_ I _believe,_ _sweetie,"_ he chided. "That _is_ the _correct_ geographical location of your birth. Is it _not,_ _Pepper?"_ he replied.

She huffed and pouted. "How did you remember those things? I can recall only _one_ conversation..."

"I pay _attention,_ " Tony countered, with a righteous smirk.

Pepper shook her head in denial. " _No!_ You _don't!"_ she spouted back. "You don't think I'm _aware_ of how _little,_ in fact, you pay attention to anyone other than yourself! And don't try to pretend that my life's details just happen to be at the forefront of your mind, Tony Stark! I'm not letting you off the hook with just two questions!"

Tony chuckled at her ire, and threw up his hands in surrender. "Whatever, Pep. I'll play the game for as long as you need me to just to _prove_ I know more than you _think_ I do," he assured.

"Great," Pepper said resolutely. "In that case, tell me, Tony? Since you know so much about me, answer me this- what am I allergic to?"

Tony stopped smirking. His face fell, and his eyes went wide. "Um, what are you _allergic_ to?" he repeated with trepidation.

" _Yes,_ " Pepper said emphatically. "You heard me. So answer the question, smart guy. What am I allergic to?" she asked.

Tony worked his jaw as they stared at each other. Pepper cocked her head and gave him a wry smile. He narrowed his eyes. " _Nothing,_ " he purred, as his lips quirked up in a sly smile. "It's a trick question. The answer is _nothing."_

Pepper chuckled, clucking to herself as she walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She looked at him lustily, and raised her head to bring her lips within millimeters of his, but didn't make contact. Tony looked at her with a boastful grin, his eyes sparkling with superiority. "That's _it,_ isn't it?" he purred. "You tried to trip me up, but I'm too smart for _you,_ Pep. I knew it was..."

" _Strawberries,_ " Pepper purred back, and then abruptly pulled away. "It's strawberries, Tony," she stated again flatly. "You got it _wrong._ " She then swiveled away from him once more and walked out of the kitchen.

Tony followed closely behind her. He frowned as his brain short circuited. "What? _Strawberries?_ Are you...are you _sure?_ Because I _distinctly_ remember one time..."

"Since I was _five_ , Tony," she said, as she strolled down the hall. "I break out in hives and my throat swells shut. But you would _know_ that, wouldn't you?" she chided. She reached the end of the hall and walked inside the bathroom. She spun around to face him. "After _all!_ _You_ pay _attention!"_ she said with a sardonic smirk, before shutting the door in his face.

Tony exhaled slowly and braced himself against the door jamb. "Okay, _okay,"_ he said to her through the door. "So, I didn't know about the _strawberry_ thing. Sue me. But I bet I could answer a hundred more questions about you, and get them right," he wagered.

He heard Pepper laugh on the other side. "Oh, _please!"_ she chirped. "A _hundred!_ You're two out of three, currently! I _hardly_ think you could..."

"You like to wear the color blue because you know it sets off your eyes, which I have to agree 100%, but it isn't your favorite color. _That's_ green. You have a thing for the Carpenters, even though you won't openly admit it, but I've heard you humming "Close to You" at least half a dozen times when you didn't think anyone was around _._ You ran track in high school, and some in college, but only because you got a scholarship for it. But quit because you broke your ankle jumping hurdles at an inter-collegiate meet, and lost the love of the sport after that, though you still like to go running sometimes. Especially on the beach. That's when you moved to California and became a model, but then decided to go back to school for accounting because you didn't like the superficiality.

You have a scar on your left knee from tripping over a rake when you were ten while you and your cousins were playing in your parent's barn, which required four stitches and a tetanus shot in your rear. Your dad died of a heart attack when you were in high school, and that's when you got your first paying job- to help out with the family expenses. You were valedictorian of your high school class. You dated the quarter back of the football team, and were engaged to him briefly. You love to cook, and spend the weekends baking. When you get anxious, or depressed, you clean. You hate your freckles, and wish you'd got the porcelain skin and fair hair your sister has. You wish you'd learned to play a musical instrument as a kid, because you love music and boast an extensive collection, but your favorite is jazz. And..."

Just then, bathroom door was flung open, and Pepper appeared, staring at Tony silently. He recoiled defensively at her sudden presence, bracing for whatever was going to be flung at him, but soon righted himself as he realized she had no intention of lobbing something at him. It was quite the opposite, in fact, as Pepper suddenly flung her arms around his neck, and planted a kiss on his lips. He let out a cross between and "Oaf!" and a moan, and wrapped her in his arms in return, kissing her back soundly. He fell back against the opposite wall of the narrow hallway with her, but neither of them noticed.

Slowly, the kiss broke and they gazed into each others eyes. "It was a pitch fork," she murmured breathily, upon recovery.

Tony swallowed hard and frowned, his brain still sparking from the shock of her kiss. "What?" he said, not following.

"That I tripped over. It was a pitchfork. And I got _six_ stitches in my knee, not four," she informed him softly.

Tony shrugged sheepishly. " _Well,"_ he said. "I _could_ keep going _,_ you know. I could talk about you all afternoon, if you wanted."

Pepper smiled, and reached up to softly peck his lips again. " _Tempting,_ but no," she teased, with a smile. "How on _Earth_ did you retain all of that?"

Tony teeter-tottered his head back and forth, and then shrugged again. "I _told_ you. I pay _attention,_ " he replied.

"But why _me?_ You can't deny you aren't this well-informed about anyone _else's_ life, with the exception of your own and possibly Rhodey's," she said.

Tony just smiled. "Like I _said,_ Pep," he told her. "I'm in _love_ with you."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello! I hope you guys are still into reading this one, with it being now past the holidays and all. And I hope you're not finding it TOO fluffy, despite the forced starvation of all things Pepperony that has been put upon us. I guess I just can't help myself! So blame Marvel if any of my fluff goes overboard! LOL! :D Anyway, more to come! I love the support and the feedback! It keeps the plot bunnies hopping! :D**

 **Happy Reading!**

Pepper frowned and shook her head, stepping back. "Stop saying that," she murmured.

Tony frowned and looked at her curiously. "But...I _do,_ Pep. I _love_ you," he repeated. He chuckled bemusedly. "Is _that_ such a bad thing?" he asked.

Pepper gave him a sympathetic smile. "But you're _not_ in love, Tony," she argued.

"I'm _not?_ " he asked, with an amused smirk.

"No," Pepper assured, shaking her head. "I'm _flattered. Really._ But _this,"_ she said, motioning between them. " _This_ isn't love. It's... _infatuation,_ " she explained.

"Infatuation," he repeated flatly.

"Yes," Pepper agreed. "Puppy love. At _best."_

Tony pulled back, and scoffed. Pepper went on. "It's _okay,_ Tony. I understand how you could confuse..."

"I'm not some love-sick school boy, Pepper. I've never felt like this before. Not about _anyone._ Admittedly, there have been times when I _thought_ that I..."

Pepper laid her hand on his chest, and he stopped talking to look down at it.

"Tony," she murmured. She shook her head. "We _can't._ It would be...a _mistake."_ She raised her gaze to look at him and they stared into each others eyes silently for a moment.

"A _mistake,_ huh," Tony murmured back, dejectedly. He worked his jaw and nodded. "Alright,Pep. I get it. If it's not what you want, then it's not what you want. Just forget I ever..." he trailed off, moving to slide away from her. Pepper watched in silence, as he fidgeted and cleared his throat awkwardly. "I'll, uh, just go grab some more wood for the, uh... fire, and..."

"Sure, yeah, that...sounds good," she offered, just as awkwardly.

Tony turned around and began to walk away. He took a couple of steps, but halted and slowly turned back around to face her. "No," he said, putting his hands on his hips, and shaking his head. "No. You know what? If you're gonna kiss me off," he said, stepping back in front of her. Pepper looked into his eyes silently. "Then I want one...last... _k_ _iss_ ," he finished. And with one motion, he lowered his head, and kissed her hard. Pepper squeaked in surprise, but couldn't deny the amount of passion he emanated, which automatically ignited her desire, proven by the breathy moan that involuntarily escaped her lips. She suddenly cleaved to him, pulling him hungrily to her. Tony smiled to himself as he wrapped his arms around her body, and held her tightly.

Several moments later, their cheeks collectively flushed and their chests collectively heaving, they slowly broke off and gazed at each other. Pepper slowly closed and then opened her eyes, and swallowed hard, trying to steady herself yet again. "How'd you do that?" she asked breathlessly, her glassy eyes trying to focus on him.

Tony smirked and chuckled, running his hands affectionately over her body. "Uh.. _do what?"_ he asked with playful innocence. " _Not_ take no for an answer? _Refuse_ to let you blow me off? Is...is _that_ what you're talking about?"

Pepper didn't answer. She just gave him a sheepish grin, and chuckled.

Tony inhaled sharply through his teeth, and pretended to look out into the middle distance, squinting. "It's...a _gift,_ Pep," he said hoarsely, before slowly bringing his eyes back to her. "And how does one explain something they are _born_ with, exactly?"

" _Oh-kay,_ sorry I asked," Pepper said, rolling her eyes and trying to stifle a giggle. She fiddled with the buttons on his shirt, and Tony smiled at her adoringly, loving holding her in his arms.

"But _no_ _w_ do you believe me?" he asked softly, his voice hopeful.

Pepper smirked and looked at him with mock curiosity. "After _one_ kiss? _Please,_ Stark. You're going to have to work harder than _that,"_ she teased.

Tony made like he was mulling over the proposition, and then nodded in agreement. "Okay, Potts. Fair enough," he replied. "But are you abject to me _saying_ it to you in the meantime?" he asked.

Pepper blushed. She bit her lips together, and looked at him bashfully. She still wasn't sure what he was feeling was love, but she just couldn't bring herself to tell him no.

"Maybe if you let me practice a little? You know, to get used to how it sounds," he urged, smirking.

"Boy, you are _really_ trying to make the sale here, aren't you?" she remarked, smirking back at him.

"Well, try _this_ on for size- Uh, Pepper?" he said, looking at her expectantly.

She just stared at him in silence.

"Okay, if I'm gonna show you the demo, you need to help me out here, Pep," Tony joked.

Pepper spluttered. "Oh! Okay, sorry. Go ahead," she said, tossing her hair over her shoulders before squaring them, and looking him in the eye with a playful smirk.

"Ready?" he asked, amused at her playing along.

"Ready," she replied.

Tony cleared his throat formally. "Pepper?" he said again in a low, soft rumble, with an eyebrow cocked.

Pepper blushed and rolled her eyes. "You are _such_ a flirt," she muttered under her breath. But then she straightened up. " _Yes,_ Tony?" she answered playfully back.

"I..." he said, leaning in to softly kiss her lips. She giggled and returned the kiss. "Love," he said, repeating the same motion. And again, Pepper returned it. But this time, Tony rested his forehead on hers, and brushed her cheek with the tips of his fingers, which sent a spark down her spine. She tried to hide the shivery thrill it caused by biting her bottom lip. Tony noticed this, and grinned. " _You,_ " he whispered, before cupping her cheek to tilt her lips up to his once more. This time, the kiss was tender, and very sensual, and it broke so slowly, that Pepper hardly knew it was over save for the affectionate brush of the tips of their noses, and Tony breathing out an approving sigh. A soft smile spread across her lips, and she slowly opened her eyes to gaze into his. "How was that?" he murmured. "Could you get used to _that?"_

Pepper smiled. "Well, it's certainly..." she said. She giggled at him rendering her ability to form a coherent sentence completely useless. Then they both chuckled.

" _Amazing?"_ he offered, with a boastful smirk.

"Yes, you _could_ say that. But the word I was looking for is _permissible._ It is _permissible_ to tell me in... _that way,"_ she informed him, trying to keep her composure as she slowly regained her faculties.

Tony giggled at her. "Permissible. Got it," he teased. "Well, that method is good for those times when I am unoccupied by," Tony said, clearing his throat and making air-quotes. "' _Other pursuits,'_ But what about when I'm busy? And I want to give you an _'on the fly'_ kind of I love you?" he asked.

Pepper chuckled and shook her head. "I think something a bit more conventional would do just fine in that instance," she informed him.

Tony gasped and nodded, as if this was a new concept. "Oh-kay, that's good to know. Something like an "I love you, baby!" or "I love you, _honey,"_ or...Ooo! _I_ know!" he said, snapping his fingers in realization. " 'I love you, _Pepper!'_ Yeah! _That's_ a good one right _there._ _That's_ a _winner,_ " he teased.

Pepper laughed, and he giggled back at her, his eyes sparkling with delight. "Well, _however_ I get to say it, I'm just glad you're _letting_ me," he said.

Pepper nodded. " _Good,_ " she said. "But just know, it's going to take me a _bit_ longer to be able to say it _back_."

Tony took a minute to consider the idea, and then nodded in agreement. "I _think_ I can work with that," he said with a smile.

Pepper looked at him curiously. "Really?" she asked. "You don't _mind_ my being... _cautious?_ "

Tony shook his head. "Nope," he assured her. "Pep, I _know_ you need some time with this. I figured as much. But when you _do_ decide the time is right, it'll be the best day of my life. _That,_ and the day we... _consummate_ the relationship," he said, waggling his eyebrows flirtatiously.

"And _there_ it _is,"_ Pepper teased. She shook her head.

"Am I _that_ predictable? You saw it coming, huh?" he teased back.

"Yep. Not a hard one to figure out," Pepper replied, and they both giggled.

Tony took both of her hands at his chest in one of his, while keeping the other arm around her waist. He squeezed her to him affectionately, and she smiled.

"Well, you're worth the _wait,_ Pep," he murmured, looking deeply into her eyes. "On _all_ counts."

His words made Pepper's knees go weak, and her stomach flutter. Another shivery thrill coursed over her, and her cheeks reddened. She bit her bottom lip, averting her eyes from his, which made him smile at her in adoration, knowing full well the effect her was having on her again. He lowered his head, and captured her lips once more, kissing her gently. Pepper melted into it, and when the kiss broke, Tony grinned at her.

"I love you, baby," he whispered to her.

Pepper bit her lip again. Despite her earlier resolve, she found herself fighting the overwhelming urge to say it back. But she managed to hold firm, and smiled at him, silently, instead.


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay. I KNOW this was supposed to be a Christmas fic. And it still WILL be, but life is just crazy for me right now. So I've decided I will write what I can when I can (as I truly feel like I'm being starved if I go for long periods of time without it! Writing feeds my soul). That goes for ALL of my fics. I'll make steady progress on each of them, so as to get them all eventually completed.**

 **So back to THIS one- it will be long past the holidays before it's done, but I figure if you're interested in it, you'll read it regardless. (Hey, IM 3 was supposed to be set during Christmas, and it was released in May of that year. So I figure I can pull a Shane Black and follow suit.)**

 **So, if you DO stay interested in it, let me know! Same goes for my other works in progress, as well. Your support keeps the creative fires burning, and I am eternally grateful for it.**

 **So without further ado...**

 **Happy Reading :D**

Not long after, they'd agreed that, if they were to be holed up in this cabin until the blizzard passed, which could be days, they would have to take inventory of everything they had at their disposal to be comfortable and somewhat well fed for the foreseeable future. Tony agreed to bring a big pile of wood in from outside, as well as look around for any other implements that might be of use to them, and Pepper agreed to assess what was in the kitchen to try to put together some type of meal plan.

Tony had found a heavy flannel-lined tan-colored canvas jacket, a pair of leather work gloves, and a navy blue stocking cap in the master bedroom closet. The only thing missing was decent shoes with which to trek out in the snow. Unfortunately, the only pair of boots he found were several sizes too small, which left him relegated to wearing his Italian leather dress shoes in which he'd attended the party at the ski resort. Not ideal, he admitted. But they were better than nothing, none the less.

He quickly dressed and went outside, brushing back the piling snow stacked against the front door with his foot so it didn't topple inside and make a puddle on the floor.

Meanwhile, Pepper was working in the kitchen. She opened each of the cabinets that contained food, and began collecting all of the items she found, including flour and sugar, and the few spices she found above the stove on a small shelf. All in all, she found two cans of creamed corn, two cans of kidney beans, one can of fruit cocktail, a small container of coffee grounds, a quarter-full bag of flour, a bag of sugar only 1/3 of the way full, a tub of vegetable shortening, and the few condiments in the door of the refrigerator- most of which were nearly empty. She looked around at their small stockpile of supplies, and sighed, with a frown. "Well, it's sparse. But it's a start, anyway," she muttered to herself.

She'd hoped to find some variety of protein in the freezer, but it was completely cleared out, save for a half-full ice cube tray. She glanced over to the window, and looked out to the river in thought. Luckily, it moved with a swift current, so the water was flowing freely, and not iced over like the inlets were. She hadn't been fishing since she was a child, and wondered how adept she and Tony would be at catching fish, if it came to that. (And, by the looks of it, it _would_ , sooner or later.) She wondered if he'd found any fishing poles in his search. Otherwise, they'd have to engineer something that could either hook or trap passing fish. And at a pretty efficient pace, she deduced. If they were going to make the journey from the cabin back toward the highway in a few days, they'd have to have all the strength they could gather for walking in what she could only guess was going to be waist-deep snow- a task that would require a lot of strength and stamina. And if they didn't have the energy reserves they needed, the elements could prove to be a tough challenge to overcome. _Deadly,_ in fact.

Just then, she heard Tony come in, stomping the snow from his feet. She rushed to greet him, as she knew he'd have the first stack of wood in his arms, and would need help getting it to the hearth to stack. He smiled when he saw her.

She smiled back, and began taking the wood from him and stacking it in her own arms, piece by piece.

"That snow is already pretty deep, just from last night," he commented.

"Mmm hmmm. I bet," Pepper replied, as she turned to walk toward the fireplace.

She quickly returned to grab the remainder. "How's it coming?" he asked, nodding toward the kitchen.

Pepper shrugged. "It's meager, I'll say that," she reported, taking the rest of the wood out of his arms and to the hearth, and then coming back to face him again.

Tony furrowed his brow. "Like _how_ meager are we talkin'?" he asked.

"Well, the pancake mix is gone, and the flour is in short supply, so we won't be able to just live on pancakes for the next few days. Which leaves us with a few cans of creamed corn..."

Tony made a face. "Bleck," he said, grimacing.

Pepper smiled at him wryly. "Well, you might not be thinking that when it's the only thing _left,"_ she replied.

He cocked an eyebrow. "It's _that_ bad?" he asked trepidatiously.

"Well, besides the corn, we've got a can of fruit cocktail, some canned kidney beans, and a tub of vegetable shortening, the rest of what you found for coffee grounds, some cooking spices, and the few nearly-gone condiments in the fridge," she reported.

Tony exhaled, and worked his jaw in thought.

"As I said, it's meager. I was hoping to find some variety of protein in the freezer, but..."

"The river, " Tony said softly, shifting his eyes out the window.

Pepper nodded. "That's what I was thinking, too," she commented. "You didn't happen to run across a fishing pole, did you?"

Tony pursed his lips and shook his head, keeping his gaze outside. "Nope. No such luck," he said.

"Damn," Pepper said with disappointment.

"Lemme, uh... lemme work on that, Pep," Tony said thoughtfully, narrowing his eyes. "I might be able to rig up... _something."_

Pepper brightened. "I was _hoping_ you'd say that," she replied.

Tony gave her a cocky smirk. "Why? Were you _worried?"_ he purred in a gravelly rumble, pulling her to him from around the waist. "Worried I'd let us _starve?_ With a river that's probably full of fish right outside our window? _Hmmm?_ Come on, Potts. Give me a _little_ credit," he teased, with a playful sparkle in his eyes.

Pepper giggled and bit her lip, letting him pull her into his arms, feel the crisp chill on him from being outside until the welcome warmth of his clothed chest was exposed from under the jacket, warming her body as well. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, feeling the lingering chill on his lips and cheeks as well. She felt him pull off his gloves, dropping them to the floor to rub his hands up and down her back affectionately.

"Oooh, you're _cold,_ " she purred when the kiss broke, cupping his frost-reddened cheeks in her hands and brushing the tip of his nose with hers, feeling that _that_ was cold, too.

"Mmmm hmmmm, I _know._ But _you_ are doing a _tremendous_ job of warming me up, right now," he purred back.

They both giggled, and Tony pecked her lips once more before resting his forehead on hers. "We'll be _fine._ You _know_ that, right?" he asked hopefully, his voice soft and encouraging.

Pepper looked into his eyes and nodded. "Yes," she said, though she'd hadn't been assured of that until just that moment. Something about his surety made her feel instantly comforted and at ease. Truth be told, she was actually starting to look _forward_ to spending this time alone with Tony, even though it still felt so new and unfamiliar to even fathom that they were more than boss and employee. Not to mention that the conditions weren't ideal. She would have much rather been in this remote place by choice, and not by necessity _._ Food was scarce- true. And the weather was harsh. But _still_ , she couldn't imagine being anywhere else with him right now. She only hoped this euphoria wouldn't come crashing down around her, reminding her of all the reasons why she _hadn't_ wanted to be with Tony in the past. _Euphoria,_ she mused. _THAT'S the word of the day._

Pepper reached up, and slowly pulled the stocking cap off of Tony's head, and flinging it behind her to the floor where his gloves were. Then she began to run her fingers through his disheveled hair. He just gazed at her in adoration, loving her affection. "So, _Cookie?_ What's on the menu tonight?" he asked.

"Kidney beans, creamed corn, and fruit cocktail, I'm afraid," she reiterated flatly.

Tony made another face in disgust. "Okay, not the most _appealing_ thing in the world," he replied.

Pepper spluttered. "Well, then, you'd better figure out a way to catch some fish then, I'd reckon," she teased back.

" 'I'd _reckon?'"_ he joked, with a twang in voice. "Boy, you're really getting in the the whole _cookie_ role, aren't you? I was just kidding about..."

Pepper put a finger to his lips, and smirked at him. "Tony? Less talking. More fishing. Or... _something._ It looks like the daylight is starting to fade. We need to get something figured out. And _soon._ "

Tony nodded, and broke away from their embrace. "Right," he said resolutely. "I'll finished getting the wood, and then I'll see what I can do."

Suddenly, Pepper winced in pain, and then nodded weakly in reply. She brought her fingertips to her forehead and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Uh oh," Tony muttered, looking at her in alarm. "I think that's our cue to get you back on the couch, huh?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I'm _fine._ And you need me to help."

"You're _not_ fine, _actually._ And you _need_ to lie down. I'm not taking no for an answer on this, Pep. So, come here," he said, sweeping her up in his arms.

Pepper squeaked in surprise, and then whimpered weakly, laying her head against Tony's shoulder as he carried her to the couch. He gingerly laid her down, and pulled the blanket over the top of her. Pepper kept her eyes closed, and muttered a soft, "Thank you."

He smiled and brushed the hair back from her face before planting a soft kiss to her forehead. "You bet. Get some rest, huh?" he murmured to her.

Pepper nodded and smiled softly, opening her eyes only briefly to acknowledge him. He smiled back, watching her intently as she closed her eyes again, and settled in to go to sleep. He waited until she dozed off, which didn't take long, and then left her side to see what he could come up with to catch dinner.

XxXxXxXxXx

Rhodey walked out of his office into the cool afternoon breeze as pulled his phone away from his ear for what seemed to be the millionth time in the last 24 hours. It was the same thing yet again- both Tony _and_ Pepper's phones went straight to voice mail. The conference they'd gone to had ended the day before, and he was scheduled to meet up with Tony as soon as they got back. He'd met with the DOD brass while they were gone about new weapons tech Tony had proposed for the coming year, and he needed to get back to him so they could plan a delivery date. But so far, he'd had no luck even getting Tony to respond to his calls.

"This is so unlike him," Rhodey muttered. "So unlike the _both_ of them." He frowned in thought, a knot slowly growing in his stomach at the thought that something had happened to his friends. "Calm down, man. There's gotta be a good reason for the delay," he told himself. He remembered hearing a weather report for the area, stating there would be a blizzard blowing through unexpectedly. Which meant all flights would be grounded until it passed, no doubt. "Yeah. That's all it is," he assured himself. _Cell towers are knocked out by the storm or something. And they can't get reception. I'm sure they're fine,_ he thought. "Just fine," he muttered, trying to deny the knot of worry growing in the pit of his stomach telling him otherwise.


	8. Chapter 8

**The adventure in the wilderness continues! Thank you for your continued support, and to all who review! Happy Reading! :D**

Tony stood by the river in the waning daylight, watching the current swirl the frigid water into little pools around him. The cabin sat not far from a bend in the river's path, allowing the water to slow its pace, creating an inlet where he knew there just _had_ to be fish. If they weren't looking to move down river in the fast current, it would be the ideal place for them to hole up and rest. _Now, to rig a trap,_ he thought. He knew he didn't have a lot of time in which to fashion anything elaborate, but he also knew that the design that he was thinking of could be stripped down to its more basic form, and still be very effective. He'd got the idea from seeing the lobster traps along the edges of the water as a kid in the Hamptons, and figured that would give him a good place to start. He wouldn't have the time to build a trap, per se, but more of a holding area to lure the fish to for now. However, the idea was the same in that you could lure the fish to the spot using some kind of attractant. Then, once they were inside, they wouldn't be able to escape back out the same way.

He began looking around for broken branches, kicking his feet in the snow to uncover them. Once he'd gathered quite a few sticks of relatively the same diameter (about 2 inches), he began sinking the ends of them vertically into the river bed, one by one, spaced equally apart, just enough to allow fish to swim through, but struggle to escape back out. The water in this spot was around a foot deep, and it made him cringe having to think about stepping into it, bringing to mind the night of the accident all over again, and having to tromp through the frigid water with Pepper unconscious in his arms, a million tiny frozen daggers needling his skin under its surface the whole way. But this time was _worse_ , as he decided to raise his pant legs to his knees, so as to preserve their dry state as much as he could, consequently having to expose his bare skin to the icy water.

Holding tight the sticks in his arms, he swiftly stepped in the water, inhaling sharply at the sting of the cold. He worked diligently, huffing and grunting with each new step until finally, he'd made it across to the other side of the inlet, and happily climbed out onto the bank. "Whew," he breathed, stamping his feet to regain circulation in them, and bending down to lower his pant legs. When he'd finished, he raised back up and breathed into his chilled hands, the steam from it billowing out into the air in front of him as he rubbed them together. He surveyed his work, but wasn't quite satisfied. "Now, I need bait," he muttered, furrowing his brow in thought. Then he smiled. He knew just the thing.

He trekked the fifty yards distance from the river back to the cabin and walked inside, depositing his soaking wet shoes and socks on the rug by the door. Pepper was still softly dozing on the couch, unaware of his presence. He smiled softly to himself as he passed her, admiring how peaceful she looked at that moment, and walked into the kitchen.

There, he found the cans that she'd gathered still sitting in a group on the counter top. He searched through them for the creamed corn. "Aha," he said, once he found it. "C'mere, you." He tossed the can in his hand, and smirked. "Fish bait. The _only_ acceptable use for this stuff," he said to himself.

He then began to search for a can opener, not having any luck. He frowned, but then heard a voice from the living room. "In the drawer, to the left of the stove," it said. He smirked and walked around the fireplace chimney, and into the view of a now fully awakened Pepper.

" _You_ are supposed to be _sleeping,_ " he teased.

"I hope you don't think you're walking out of here with some of our reserves," she said.

"What, _this?_ " he said, holding up the can with a smirk. "No. This is _not_ food. This is what I'm going to catch _our_ food _with,_ " he announced.

Pepper giggled. "You are bound and determined not to ingest any creamed corn during our time here, aren't you?" she teased back.

"You bet your sweet _bippy,_ Potts," he replied. He looked at it, and made a face of disgust. "Bleck. Pure nastiness in a _can_ ," he said, shaking his head. "I think I'd _rather_ starve if this was our only option."

"Which would make perfect sense, of course," she joked, sitting up. She winced. "Ooo, ow," she moaned, rubbing the bruised spot on her forehead.

"Hey, hey. Take it easy, huh?" Tony said, rushing to her to side. He crouched down in front of her, watching her with concern.

Pepper smiled at him reassuringly. "I'm fine," she said. "Just... _sore."_

Tony nodded in understanding. "I bet," he agreed. He picked up her hand, and gave the back of it a tender kiss. "Just relax, okay? I _got_ this."

They smiled at each other, and Pepper nodded. "Okay," she murmured. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he murmured back, smiling softly, his eyes sparkling affectionately. Then he stood up, patting her knee sweetly before he rose. He moved to walk away, but suddenly stopped. "Oh, wait! I forgot to do something," he said, snapping his fingers.

"What. What did you..." Pepper started to say, but couldn't finish her question, as Tony suddenly planted a kiss on her lips. She let out a breathy, surprised squeak, and cupped his cheeks in her hands, letting herself melt into his kiss.

Slowly, the kiss broke, and they gradually opened their eyes to look at each other, grinning. " _That._ I just forgot to do _that,_ " Tony murmured to her playfully, shrugging.

" _Shame_ on you," she teased.

Tony smirked. "I _know,_ right?" he teased back. "It had been entirely _too_ long since the last one. I was starting to have withdrawls." Pepper giggled, and cupped his cheeks again, pecking his lips. Tony moaned happily.

"Will that be enough to get you through for the time being?" she joked, her voice soft and sultry.

Tony grinned at their exchange. "I'll, uh...I'll try to make due," he joked back, making her chuckle. He slowly stood back up, gently kissing her forehead before coming to a standing position. He smirked and swiveled back around.

She watched him walk back into the kitchen, as a grin spread across her lips. He quickly returned a few moments later, having found the can opener, and now held the opened can of creamed corn in his hand, arm outstretched and a look of complete disdain on his face. Pepper laughed.

"Yuck. It even _smells_ disgusting. Seriously. How do people eat this stuff?" he asked, walking to the front door.

"Might be the reason why it was one of the only things left in the cabinet," she offered.

"Good point," he said, setting the can down to put his socks and shoes back on. Pepper got up off the the couch, and walked around to the door to see him out. She frowned. "Why are your shoes and socks soaking wet? Were you in the water?" she asked.

"Uh, _yeah._ How _else_ am I supposed to set up a trap to catch fish, Pep?" he asked.

"Aren't you cold?" she asked him.

Tony shrugged. " _Freezing,_ " he said. "But I don't have time to pay attention to that right now, _do_ I?"

Pepper pouted. "Well, hurry back," she demanded. "And I'll find you some dry socks to change into. We'll hang those ones by the fire to dry. Not to mention your shoes! Oh, _Tony!_ " she scolded, noticing those _too_ were also dripping. "They're ruined!"

He frowned and looked down, and then looked back up at her. "What? Whadya' want me to do, Pep? I don't _have_ a lot of options in the footwear department. The only other pair of shoes in the whole place are _way_ too small."

Pepper huffed, and pursed her lips. "Hmmmm. Well," she said, defeated. "We don't need you becoming hypothermic, or getting sick, or..."

Tony stood up, went in for a quick kiss, quieting her worrying. "I'll be _fine,_ " he said, smiling, rubbing her upper arm. "Okay? _Relax."_

Pepper pouted some more, but stopped talking, and just nodded in agreement. "Okay," she murmured.

Tony yanked the door open, and took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing. Hopefully, this does the trick," he said, walking through the door. "I _shall_ return," he announced ceremoniously, before walking away. Pepper smiled, and saw him out, closing the door behind him. Then she moved to the nearby window, and watched him as he tromped through the snow back to the river's edge, admiring his determination to take care of them.

She chuckled to herself, and shook her head in amusement. "My _hero,_ " she murmured, with a wry smirk.

XxXxXxXxXx

Tony made it back out to the water's edge, and successfully poured the can of creamed corn into the inlet. He shook the remnants of its contents out with one last hard shake, and watched it start to disperse into the water. " _That_ oughta do it," he said. "And, _now,_ we _wait."_

The sun had almost totally set. Everything around him was cast in a violet hue, as it sank behind the mountains in the distance. He looked around him, admiring his surroundings for a moment. Despite everything that had happened recently, it _was_ a very peaceful place, and he _did_ feel quite at ease there. The sound of the river soothed his mind, and he could only imagine how blissful it would be in the summer time, when it would be far more tolerable to be outside than it was now. He imagined being in this place with Pepper, in different circumstances than they found themselves in currently. He pictured lying on the bank on a blanket, with her in his arms, staring up at the clouds in the sky. They'd wile away a whole afternoon like that- just being together, totally alone, and falling in love. He closed his eyes, almost able to taste her kiss again in this moment, and smell the sweet scent of her sun-warmed skin. He imagined her propping herself over the top of him, and smiling down at him, her glittery golden-red hair falling all around. He'd raise up to kiss her lips, and would pull her into his arms, gently rolling them so that it was _she_ who would be lying on her back, then. And he'd proceed to make love to her, slowly, with great tenderness and attention, forgetting all space and time to just _be_ with her in the most intimate way possible. _The RIGHT way,_ he thought. _The way she deserves._

Just then, Tony was awakened from his reverie by a rustling across the river in the trees. "What the..." he said, popping his eyes open, and squinting into the gathering darkness. An animal-like form moved in and out of view, stalking back and forth, watching him as intently as he was watching _it._ He froze. "Oh _shit,"_ he whispered, suddenly realizing what it was that had crossed his path. His stomach dropped, and he quickly swiveled around, running as fast as he could back toward the cabin. He heard the eerie sound of the animal coming after him, crossing the river with a loud splash, growling menacingly. Tony could hear it come up onto the nearest bank, quickly closing the distance between them.

His heart pounded in his ears as he finally reached the porch, and dove to shove the front door open, glancing back only briefly to see the animal quickly gained ground behind him. Pepper was standing in front of the rekindled fire in the fireplace, and spun around in shock at the sudden commotion. "What in the world?!" she exclaimed, as Tony jammed the door closed again, and leaned his back against it, his chest heaving.

He gulped and took a deep breath trying to calm his nerves, looking at Pepper in wide-eyed panic. Then, he uttered the only two words needed for explanation- _"Mountain Lion."_


	9. Chapter 9

**Been a while on this one as well, I know. But I have a feeling you might forgive me when you read the super dose of fluff I put into this chapter! I hope you enjoy it! As you know, your time and attention is MUCH appreciated. Thanks for sticking with me. :D**

Pepper was about to speak when suddenly the mountain lion appeared outside the screen door. Tony instantly spun around, and started backing away from the door, toward Pepper. He stepped in front of her, his arms out defensively to his sides to protect her.

They both anxiously looked on as the animal raised up on its back legs, and propped itself against the storm door, stretching and straining the screen with its weight. They could hear the claws of the animal tearing holes in it. "Oh my God!" Pepper gasped. "What are we going to do?"

Tony's eyes shifted from the door to the coat closet. Thinking quickly, he left Pepper, and marched over to it. He yanked the door open, and Pepper watched as he dug in the back of the closet, soon producing a double-barreled, side-by-side shot gun, along with a half-empty box of shells.

"What are you doing with that?!" she exclaimed.

Tony opened the breach and popped a shell into each barrel. He snapped the breach closed again and look at her with his jaw set. "That thing decides he needs in here?" he said, nodding toward the door. "He'll get a face full."

Pepper's chest heaved. She frowned. "Do you think it would be _able_ to get in?" she asked fearfully.

Tony rejoined her. "Hard to say, Pep. They _can_ be pretty resourceful. All I know is, he won't like it if he _does,"_ he replied.

He was interrupted by a heavy push against the screen again, the door's frame cracking and popping against the weight, followed by a bone-chilling shriek coming from the cat. Pepper yelped in fear, and Tony pulled back the hammers as he raised the gun to his shoulder, ready to fire if needed.

The animal lowered its head when he saw Tony do this, and glared menacingly through the broken pane of glass in the front door at the two of them, huffing loudly, and emitting a low, threatening growl. "Try it, buddy," Tony muttered under his breath. "Just try it."

They continued to stare each other down for a few moments longer, until the creature decided against any further affront. It pushed itself off the screen door, making it creak loudly, and turned its back on Tony, sauntering away from the cabin and back into the trees.

When the coast was clear, Tony lowered the gun and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Then he looked at Pepper, who was still staring wide eyed at the door. She swallowed hard and glanced back and forth between him and where the beast had just been, still visibly shaken.

"Hey. Hey, come here," he told her, laying the gun down on the floor beside them, and pulled her into his arms. "He's gone, now. We're okay again," he assured.

Pepper stared at him, still alarmed. She shook her head. "No," she said. "It left because it knows it's got us trapped in here. And now it's just _waiting_ for us, Tony! It's waiting for us to try to escape so it can...it can..." she stammered. Her chin started to quiver, unable to finish her sentence.

"Pep, hey. Come on. Don't do this. It'll be okay," Tony begged. He wrapped her back up protectively in his arms, and planted a kiss on the side of her head. He felt her trembling as she wrapped her arms around his neck tightly.

"We're _never_ going to get out of here!" she whispered. "It won't let us!"

"Oh, _yeah_?" Tony said, with a smirk, as he pulled back to look at her. "I've got a shot gun and a half a box of shells that would say _otherwise_."

But Pepper didn't accept this. "It'll make sure we're defenseless in the coming days," she argued. "Just wait. You'll see. I have the feeling it'll trick you into having to use those shells, Tony. You said so yourself. They're very resourceful."

Tony raised a hand to gently tuck a stray lock of her hair behind her ear, and then to cup her cheek. He looked deeply into her eyes. "I'd like to think I'm a little smarter than the average bear, Pep. Or... _mountain lion,_ as the case may be," he joked. He smiled at her, but Pepper still didn't relent.

She just shook her head. "I don't like this. I don't like it one bit," she murmured.

Tony shrugged, and then shook his head. "But, what can we do, though? We know we can't stay here forever. So we'll just have to keep watch, won't we?"

He moved away from her, and grabbed the shotgun before he walked to the door. "Just gotta take _this_ every time I go out. That's all," he said.

Pepper quickly strode over to him. "I hope you're not thinking of going back _out_ there!" she exclaimed.

Tony shrugged again. "I have to. _Dinner's_ out there. I set up a trap in the inlet for fish. I gotta go see what..."

" _No,_ " Pepper interjected. She shook her head emphatically. "No. I won't allow it. You're _not_ going back out there, Tony. Not as long as that...that," she gestured to outside. " _Thing_ is still out there. At least not tonight."

He looked at her curiously. "Wow. This has really got you shaken, hasn't it?" he asked.

Tears started to form in Pepper's eyes. " _Yes,_ " she whispered, her voice faltering. " _Please,_ Tony! Just...just stay _here._ We'll figure something else out," she pleaded, grasping the front of his shirt, her eyes searching his face desperately.

Tony searched hers in return. "Okay, Pep. Okay," he murmured, furrowing his brow. He nodded, relenting. "You got it. I'll stay put."

Pepper sighed with relief, and gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you," she said. She wrapped her arms around his neck again, and he moved to prop the gun up against the door jamb before he went to wrap her up in his. He stroked her hair to try to comfort her, and planted another kiss to her temple.

"You're welcome," he murmured back.

XxXxXxXxXx

Pepper had had enough pancake mix to whip up another batch for them for supper. Tony had sat at the dining room table and watched her cook. It seemingly calmed her down to be able to focus on cooking, which he was grateful for. He hated seeing her all worked up. She'd been through enough in the last few days. He didn't want the worry of a mountain lion skulking around outside adding to her stress.

He was fully convinced her spirits had been effectively lifted when she brought the high stack of flapjacks over to the table with a chipper smile on her face. "Bon Appetit. Again," she said, with a smirk.

"Looks great, Pep. _Again,_ " Tony joked back, and forked four of the pancakes onto his plate. He reached for the jelly once more, just as he had that morning, but Pepper objected, pushing the last of the maple syrup in his direction instead.

"Your turn," she stated.

Tony smiled, and accepted.

They ate in happy silence for several moments, and when they'd finished, Tony got up to clear their dishes from the table. Pepper smiled graciously at him, and he bent to kiss the top of her head before he made his way, their plates in hand, to the sink. "Feeling better?" he asked her, as he began to fill it with hot, soapy water.

"Yes, _much._ Thank you," she said, lifting her feet across to rest them on his chair. "My head finally stopped throbbing, thank God."

" _Good,_ " Tony replied. "Can't say that bruise looks any better, though," he teased, with a smirk.

"Well, they tend to look worse before they look better anyway, so..." Pepper replied back.

"True, true. Maybe it's a good thing we're out in the middle of nowhere for a few days, huh? Let that thing heal? You know. Before you have to be out in public with it?" he asked.

Pepper shrugged. "Yeah, maybe," she agreed. "Though I'm not as vain as _some_ when it comes to my appearance. It wouldn't have bothered me either way, really," she said, eluding to Tony's own vanity.

"And if anybody were to ask, you could always say you got in a fight, and they should see the other guy," he joked.

Pepper laughed, and Tony smiled at the sight.

"Because that sounds like something I'd do. Everybody knows I walk around getting into fights with people," she commented.

Tony finished washing up, and rejoined her at the table. Pepper went to lift her feet off his chair, and he sat down when she did, but motioned for her to put her feet back up, only this time in his lap. She smiled bashfully, and did as he instructed. Then, she noticed, he began to affectionately stroke the tops of them with his fingers tips. His touch was very gentle, which gave her those fluttery butterflies in her stomach again. She couldn't help but smile to herself at the gesture. Tony noticed this, and smiled to himself in result.

"Hey, they _might_ believe it. You _are_ a redhead after all, Pep," Tony replied. "And a fiery one at that."

Pepper scoffed. "I'd like to think I am capable of keeping my cool in most stressful situations, Tony. You make it sound like I'm a loose cannon," she retorted.

Tony chuckled. "No, you're right. Loose cannon you are _not,_ Pep. You keep _me_ in line, however. _Well,_ as much as anyone _can,_ I suppose."

Pepper chuckled. " _That_ is a feat in and of itself, I'd say," she teased. "Plus, _you_ can't be stopped. Not completely, anyway. You can only hope to be _contained_."

Tony spluttered at her teasing him, and they laughed together. He lovingly patted the tops of her feet, and again, fluttery butterflies invaded her stomach. She blushed, and bit her lips together coyly, averting her eyes. Tony noticed, and leaned forward to look at her more closely. Pepper gave him a curious look in return. "What?" she murmured.

A smirk spread across Tony's lips, his eyes sparkling mischievously. He bit his lower lip in thought, and gently picked up one of her hands in his. "Oh. _Nothing,_ Ms. Potts," he said innocently. Pepper watched as he slowly slid her sleeve up her forearm, and then flicked his eyes back up to hers as he began to plant soft kisses on the exposed skin, starting from the very tips of her fingers.

Pepper closed her eyes for a moment, and swallowed hard as goosebumps erupted all over her skin. "W-what are you doing?" she asked hoarsely.

Tony smirked at what his actions were clearly doing to her. "Just... _enjoying_ you," he replied simply in low, smokey rumble.

Pepper bit her lip, and nodded weakly.

Tony gave her a questioning look. "This okay?" he asked cautiously.

Pepper's eyes flicked from where he'd left off on her arm to his eyes and back again. She swallowed hard. "Mmmhmm," she replied, rendered helpless.

He slowly smiled at her, and nodded. " _Good,_ " he said, then bracing his hands on each side of her seat and leaning forward to kiss her slowly, but soundly.

A soft, breathy moan escaped Pepper's lips and her eyebrows shot up in surprise at this move, but she quickly let herself sink into his kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck, and pulling him further into her.

He moved his hands from the sides of her chair to her hips, and, in one swift motion, pulled her to straddle his lap. He finished by slapping a hand to her rear, and squeezing her behind firmly. Pepper squeaked again in surprise, but his actions only served to fire up her desire, and she couldn't help rolling her hips against him as her body filled with need.

This time, Tony moaned. "Yeah, baby. Come here," he murmured to her, in between kisses.

He moved his lips down to her neck, and Pepper tilted her head to the side to give him better access as she closed her eyes. Her insides ignited with lust with each passing moment. But, instinctively, her brain also screamed at her to stop what they were doing, before it got too far. That it was too much, too fast. And this _was_ Tony Stark, after all. That he'd probably take whatever she'd give to him at that moment, but push it to the utmost limit if she let him.

" _Sex_ ," she blurted out breathlessly, thoughtlessly, in the heat of the moment.

Tony pulled back and looked at her with a wide grin, and wild-eyed anticipation. "Yes, _ma'am!"_ he growled lustily.

Pepper huffed, and grimaced with embarrassment. "No, I'm sorry. I mean," she stammered. "I mean, I feel like _this_ \- what we're _doing_ \- is only going to lead down one road. Down _that_ road."

Tony studied her face, frowning. He shook his head. "Not if you don't want it to, Pep," he assured.

Pepper hesitated, as she _did_ hate to end the moment this way. _Especially_ since she really _was_ enjoying what he was doing to her. But, she reminded herself, everything was still so new between them. And if this relationship was worth anything to either of them, they'd slow it down, and take their time. Obviously not the more desired action at the moment, but one that would make it all worth it in the end, she was convinced.

"It's not that I don't _want_ it to, Tony," Pepper explained. "It's that I...don't think we _should._ Not _yet,_ anyway."

Tony worked his jaw, and then teeter-tottered his head back and forth, considering her words. Then he sighed heavily, and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, okay," he said finally, relenting. "You're probably right."

Pepper gave him a pained look, but then nodded in agreement. She reluctantly moved to climb off of his lap and back into her chair. But Tony stopped her, grasping her wrist, and looking into her eyes. Then slowly, he tilted his head up, and kissed her lips gently. Pepper kissed him back. After a few moments, Tony broke the simple kiss, and gazed into her eyes again. And Pepper looked at him curiously.

"What was _that_ for?" she murmured, with a soft smile spread across her lips.

" _That,"_ Tony said with a smirk. "Was an 'I love you and I understand' kiss, Miss Potts," he explained.

Pepper chuckled, and Tony smiled at her. He took her hand in his, and affectionately kissed the back of it. "And I _do,_ I hope you know. On _both_ counts," he assured her.

Pepper bit her lip coyly, and nodded in understanding. "I _do_ know," she said. "And I appreciate it. On _both_ counts," she replied.

"As long as it takes, Pep. I'll wait for you for as long as it takes," Tony murmured, gazing into her eyes.

"Good to know," Pepper replied, giving him a warm smile and another soft peck on the lips. Then she climbed off his lap, and held out her hand to him. "This doesn't mean the night has to end, you know. I think we could use some time on the couch together, relaxing in front of the fireplace, hmmm? How does _that_ sound?" she asked.

Tony took her hand. "A chance to spend a romantic evening with you in my arms?" he asked, with a smirk. He interlaced their fingers, and Pepper smiled at the gesture. "Sounds _amazing,_ " he answered, looking deeply into her eyes before rising up from his chair.

Pepper nodded and grinned. "Glad to hear it," she said, as she led them into the living room.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you SO MUCH my sweet, sweet readers and reviewers! Love you guys for being willing to follow along on a Christmas story in "non-Christmas" times! LOL! The goal is to finish this one up around that time, so I figure I better get a head start. Anyway, much more to come on this one and my other fics-in-progress. Thanks, again! You guys are TERRIFIC!**

"How about I stoke the fire?" Tony said, and they made their way into the living room.

Pepper took a seat on the sofa as Tony went to the fire place. "Sounds _wonderful,_ " she said, tucking her feet underneath her.

Tony balled up some more newspaper between the existing logs that were still smoldering. Weak little blue flames sprouted as a result and soon ignited the paper. He watched for a moment as the flames grew, and then grabbed a couple of logs to stack on top. Soon, the fire was once again roaring and he smiled in satisfaction before he joined Pepper on the couch- he at one end, and she at the other. " _There,"_ he said, gazing at her, as they both were once again awash in warm, orange light. Pepper smiled back at him in approval.

He then patted his lap. "Bring those feet back," he commanded. Pepper giggled and cocked a curious eyebrow at him, but did as he wished. She watched as he gently pulled her right sock off and flung it to the floor. Then he took her foot in his hands and gently began to massage it, which made her instantly melt. He smirked knowingly.

"OhmyGodyouknowthekeytomyheart," she blurted out in one sentence, as she rolled her eyes in ecstasy and sank down into the couch cushions.

Tony chuckled at her. "The key to your heart, huh?" he joked. "Funny, after all this time."

Pepper chuckled back at him sheepishly. "Yep. _That's_ it. You've figured me out. Oooo," she purred, as he moved to work the ball of her foot. " _Yeeeeahhhhh,_ that's the...mmmmhmmm," she babbled blissfully.

"It's no secret these tootsies take a beating everyday, Potts. And you _just so happen_ to be in the presence of _the_ leading expert in foot massages," he joked, smirking cockily.

Pepper giggled. "Oh, _really?_ " she purred back. "And you've chosen to keep this information from me all these years? That's just _cruel,_ " she joked back.

They chuckled at each other. "Yeah, well, sometimes good things are worth waiting for," he cooed in replied, gazing at her knowingly.

Pepper smiled bashfully and went quiet.

Tony shifted his eyes back to her foot, and continued to rub. "You have very pretty feet," he commented. "For the record, I've always thought so."

Pepper scoffed. "Um... _thank_ you?" she said questioningly, surprised at his admission. "Though, I need to get in for a pedicure. In fact, _damn_ it. I had one scheduled for today, actually." She grimaced in regret at having had to miss it, and without any notice to her usual nail tech. Never had Pepper _ever_ missed an appointment without some kind of notification and a prompt reschedule. _One of many people that are probably wondering where the hell we are right now,_ she mused.

"Well, chipped polish and _all_ , I _still_ think you have beautiful feet," Tony assured her.

"Oh, they're _beautiful,_ now, are they? They've been _upgraded_ ," Pepper joked.

Tony laughed at her teasing him. "They were _always_ beautiful," he informed her, with a flirty smirk.

Pepper let out a bashful chuckle, but then frowned in thought. "Tony?" she began. "I want you to know, I..." she began. She then pursed her lips, trying to find the words to say. "The things that you say to me. I..."

"Yeah, Pep. I know," Tony said. "And, like I said before, I'm _okay_ with you needing a little time. But now that the cat's out of the bag about how I feel about you? It's like all I want to do is..." he said. He stopped and studied her face for a moment.

Pepper's eyebrows raised in expectation, and Tony gave her an impish smile. "No. You know what?" he said, raising one hand in surrender as he back-tracked. "If what I'm saying makes you uncomfortable, then..."

"It's not that I'm _uncomfortable,_ it's just..."

"It's awkward. I _get it."_

 _"No,_ " Pepper argued. She shook her head. "It's just..." she began again. She then took a deep breath. "It's just...been a _long_ time since I've actually _been..._ _anyone's..._ " she stammered.

Tony frowned. " _Girlfriend?"_ he asked.

Pepper smiled politely. "Anyone's... _anything,_ " she corrected, her eyes saddened. "Let _alone_ had anyone who fawned over me. I've gotta say I'm..."

"Hating it?" Tony offered, with a grimace.

"Mmmmm-no, not... _hating_ it," Pepper said thoughtfully. "Just...trying my hardest to...get _used_ to it," she explained.

Tony studied her face, detecting some very deep-seated hurt from the past. "I see," he murmured in understanding. "You...wanna talk about it?" he asked.

Pepper remained silent, studying his eyes for a moment. "It's...ancient history," she replied. "Very _painful_ ancient history."

"Got it," Tony said, assuming she wanted to keep it that way. He was ready to move on to a new subject when Pepper began to speak again.

"Funny thing, though. It started out very similar to how _this_ has," she said.

Tony's eyebrows went up. "Pepper, we don't have to..." he started to say in warning.

"No, it's okay," she replied. She shrugged. "I _should_ talk about it. That's probably the healthiest thing to do, anyway."

Tony gazed at her silently for a moment, and then slowly nodded in agreement. "Whatever you want, honey," he urged quietly.

Pepper gave him a soft smile, and nodded back. "Well, as I said, it's been a few years since I've been involved with anyone _exclusively,_ " she began. "And, mind you, this all happened when I was young, and dumb, and I just didn't know that _that_ wasn't how love was supposed to work," she explained.

Tony just stayed silent, listening.

"He was _so_ charming. I instantly got swept off my feet. I thought, _wow,_ _how could I be so lucky?_ " she said, giving him a broken smile.

Tony gave her a look of sympathy back. "And _then?"_ he said, knowingly.

"And _then_ , _slowly,_ that 'Prince Charming' facade wore off, and I was left with someone who..." she stopped, chewing her lip in though. " _God,_ I was _so_ stupid," she muttered with regret, and shaking her head.

"What happened, Pep?" Tony urged.

"Let's just say a lot of..." she said, struggling to find the right words. " _M_ _onster_ lived in that man," she finished reluctantly.

Tony narrowed his eyes, trying to understand the meaning of her words. " _Monster,_ " he murmured. He shook his head in confusion. "How do you mean?"

Pepper bit her lips together and stayed silent, waiting for him to come to the correct conclusion. She could see the gears turning in his mind. And soon, Tony's nostrils flared in anger as he started to realize what she was trying to tell him. He swallowed hard, and then gave her a cautious look. "Pepper, are you saying he...he... _hit_ you?" he asked pointedly.

Pepper gave him an impish smile. "See?" she said very softly. She averted her eyes and shook her head at the thought of what she was telling him. "Hard to believe the woman you know today could _be_ that _stupid_ as to let someone treat her that way, right?" she said finally, bringing her eyes back to his again.

Tony shook his head in disbelief, but also in a disagreement. " _No,_ " he said emphatically, reaching for her. " _No,_ Pepper. That doesn't make you stupid at _all._ It could happen to anyone," he assured her. Pepper let him pull her into his arms, and suddenly, her eyes teared up as an immense sense of relief washed over her at being able to share this pain with him. Tony wrapped his arms around her tightly, and held her as she softly cried again his shoulder.

"Who _was_ this rat bastard?" he asked. "I want his _name."_

Pepper pulled back to look at him, her eyes reddened and her cheeks tear stained. She shook her head. "No, Tony," she said. " _Please._ I don't want to reopen old wounds anymore than I already _have._ I only told you this because I thought you deserved an explanation as to why I..."

Tony raised a hand to cup her cheek. He swiped a stray tear away with the pad of his thumb, and gazed intently into her eyes. "I _didn't,_ Pep," he assured her. "I was _fine_ with you telling me you needed to slow down, no matter _what_ the reason. But, as painful as it was, thank you for giving it to me, anyway," he said.

Pepper smiled, and nodded. But then she bit her lip in thought. "We've come _this_ far," she said, shrugging. "There's no point in keeping one key detail from you."

Tony cocked a questioning eyebrow at her, but waited for her to begin speaking again.

Pepper took a deep breath, and sat back on her haunches in front of him. "The man I was involved with," she said, taking a deep breath. "He was _also_ my boss at the time," she revealed.

Tony's eyes widened in surprise. Then he frowned in confusion. "I thought you modeled before you came to work for me? For the _company,_ I mean," he said.

Pepper nodded. "I _did._ He was the head of the agency I was contracted with. _Besides_ being a full-time jackass," she said with disgust. But the she gave him an embarrassed look. "Why I _ever_ got within ten feet of him, I honestly don't know. But like I said, I was young, and dumb, and he said all of the right things at the right time to get me in his grasp, and I guess I just..." her voice faltered. She looked away, and put a hand to mouth, fighting to keep her composure.

"You poor kid," Tony said, pulling her back to him, and wrapping his arms back around her protectively. He silently rubbed her back to try to comfort her for a few moments before he spoke again. "I _get_ it, now, Pepper. You're afraid you'll make the same mistake twice, right?"

Pepper pulled back, and sniffed, nodding in the affirmative.

Tony looked into her eyes intently, cupping her face with both hands. "Pepper, that's not _me._ I would _never..."_ he said, pausing to shake his head in disbelief that any man could want to harm her like that. Then a doubt popped into his mind, and he frowned. "You _do_ know that, right? That I'm not," he began cautiously. He swallowed hard. " _That way,_ " he finished.

Pepper smiled, and gave him a reassuring nod. "Yes, Tony," she replied. "Of _that_ I'm sure."

Tony smiled warmly back. " _Good,_ " he said in relief. "How _anyone_ could want to hurt you like that, I just..." he stopped, working his jaw in thought. "Pepper, _listen_ to me," he said, gazing deeply into her eyes.

Pepper gazed silently back at him.

"I will _never_ hurt you," he promised.

But Pepper frowned. "You can't promise that," she replied.

Tony frowned back at her in confusion. "Why not?" he asked.

She chuckled to herself knowingly. "While I know you'd never try to _physically_ hurt me, you can't promise you won't make any mistakes. That _we_ won't hurt each _other_. _Emotionally._ That's not how relationships work," she said.

Tony stayed silent, a bit deflated, as he mulled over her words. "Well," he murmured softly. "Maybe that's true, as much as I hate to admit it. But I'm not _that_ creep you were with before. I would never _purposefully_ try to hurt you. You are..." he said, an adoring smile spreading across his lips.

It was infectious. Pepper, then, too, started to smile back at him.

"I _am?"_ she urged, with a playful smirk.

Tony smiled even more, and then looked intently into her eyes again. " _Precious,_ " he cooed softly.

Pepper's eyebrows shot up, and she chuckled in surprise. "Oh, now it's _precious!"_ she joked. "Another upgrade! Lucky me."

Tony laughed out loud at her, his cheeks reddening. "Alright, alright, Potts," he said. "I admit. Maybe my love-speak needs some work. But I'm _hoping,_ " he said, looking down to interlace their fingers on both hands. Pepper watched him, biting her lip coyly, secretly loving the tender gesture. "You'll be willing to keep me around long enough to help me improve it," he said, looking back up into her eyes.

Pepper had stayed kneeling on the couch cushion between his legs, and she moved to slowly wrap her arms around his neck. "Tony?" she purred softly, as she looked into his eyes.

"Yeah, Pep?" Tony replied.

Pepper smiled mischievously. " _Kiss me_ ," she whispered wantonly.

Tony smiled at her, and slowly raised his lips to hers, kissing her softly. Pepper let out a soft moan, and deepened the kiss. Tony palmed the back of her head, and wrapped the other arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. They continued like that for several moments, until Pepper began to lean backwards. Tony took her cue and followed her, shifting so he could lay her on her back, and he could position himself between her legs.

After he was sure Pepper had accepted his advances, he ran a hand down her body and cupped her behind, giving it an affectionate squeeze. She let out a breathy squeak, and he raised his head to look at her. "This okay? You okay with what we're doing?" he asked breathlessly.

Pepper smiled, and nodded. Tony smiled in relief, and lovingly brushed the tips of their noses together before going back to kissing her lips. He then moved his hand down the back of her thigh, and lifted her leg to wrap it around his waist before ducking his head to be able to kiss her neck.

Pepper moaned in approval, and laced her fingers through the hair on the back of his head. She closed her eyes and arched her back, the same fiery need that she'd felt for him in the kitchen returning with a thunderous roar in body. She inhaled through her teeth, and then moaned happily.

Tony brought his mouth closer to her ear. "I _love_ you, Pepper Potts," he purred softly, before nibbling her earlobe.

Pepper giggled at the sensation of his goatee tickling is neck, and nodded. "Mmmmmhmmm," she purred back in acknowledgement. She had to admit, she _was_ more sure of his feelings for her _now_ than she'd been that morning, as he'd made sure time and time again that she knew he wasn't just looking for a quick lay from her. But there were still some tiny seeds of doubt, of fear, that stayed rooted in her mind, as the ghosts of the past, both of Tony's behavior, and her past lover's, kept her from returning those three words back to him. No matter _how much_ her _desire,_ her _heart,_ wanted her to.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello, again! Hoping to get this fic done around Christmas time ( THIS, and "Remember Venice?", for that matter. Be expecting a pretty sizable upload happening in the near future on that one!) I had so much fun writing "A Very Pepperony Christmas" a couple of years ago, that it's hard to resist writing another Christmas-fic, you know? Hard to believe we're on the down hill slide to that time of year! Where does the time GO?!**

 **Any way, thanks for hanging with me! And for all of your reviews! You guys are the best! Happy Reading!**

For several minutes, they stayed intertwined, passionately devouring each other. Pepper moaned as Tony moved his lips from her mouth to her neck, where he traced feather-light kisses all the way down it, flicking his tongue playfully on her skin as he worked. He smiled to himself at the breathy sound of her voice.

"Mmmmmm, _oh,_ yes," she purred, clearly enjoying what he was doing to her.

He decided to take a risk, and ran his hand down her body before moving it back up again, this time under her shirt. He slid it slowly up her bare skin, deliberately letting her know of his intentions, and almost reaching her breast, when suddenly, a bone-chilling _yowl_ came from the porch, loud enough for the both of them to startle and immediately stop what they were doing.

Tony bolted upright, and Pepper followed, gasping.

"What was that?!" she said breathlessly, her eyes wide with panic.

He didn't answer right away, but narrowed his eyes as he watched the silhouette of a big cat pass by the window in the looming darkness.

"Looks like he's _back,_ " he muttered.

Pepper gasped again. "Oh my _God!"_ she cried, and clambered to get off the couch. She swiveled around as she stood up, following Tony's gaze out the window with wide eyes.

Tony glanced at her, and then back at the window again. He slowly stood up, and backed to where Pepper was standing. He stood in front of her protectively, again.

"I _told_ you he'd..." Pepper started to say, in a hushed, panicked whisper, but Tony shushed her, holding one finger to his lips.

" _Don't. Make. A sound,"_ he said, mouthing the instructions.

Pepper nodded in understanding, and Tony nodded back. He motioned for her to get down, stay where she was, and that he was going to make his way to the door. He'd left the shotgun propped against the door frame, and he wanted to be armed and ready in case it got impatient, and decided to try to break in.

They both slowly crouched to the floor. And then Tony moved to his stomach, eyeing the mountain lion outside the whole time, who was now pacing back and forth on the porch menacingly.

Pepper watched as Tony army-crawled around the coffee table and the sofa, and disappeared out of sight, heading toward the front door. She slowly raised her head to see him, and all she could spot was him crouched against the back the of the front door, reaching for the gun. Once he had it in hand, she saw him go back to his stomach, and soon he crawled back to where she was crouched in front of the fire place.

"Pepper, I want you to get to the front-facing bedroom," he whispered.

She shook her head. " _No,_ Tony! What if something happens? What if he gets inside? I won't leave you to fight him alone," she argued.

"I _know._ But don't worry. Just _listen_ to me," he urged. "Check the nightstand. You'll see an old digital alarm clock inside. When you find it, let me know. I'll come back there, and keep you covered. We're going to crack open one of the windows just wide enough to stand that clock up in it. Then..."

Pepper nodded, understanding his plan. "Turn on the radio," she finished.

Tony smiled knowingly, and nodded. "That's right. And crank it up. It needs to be full blast. Hopefully, _that_ will be loud enough to scare him away."

Pepper's chest heaved a couple of times as she glanced between him and the hallway. "Okay," she murmured finally. "I'll try to hurry."

Staying crouched, she moved away from Tony. They turned their backs toward each other, he moving to the end of the hallway with her, gun raised, until she safely made it out of the eye line of the animal, and down the hall. Then he crouched around the corner, keeping his eye down the barrel, and the barrel trained on the back of the beast, as Pepper went the rest of the way.

The mountain lion was none the wiser. It just continued to pace, emitting a low, rumbly growl as it prowled back and forth.

"I got it!" Tony soon heard Pepper whisper to him from the doorway of the bedroom. Tony slowly stood, and backed away from the doorway leading from the living room, and down the dark hallway, to join Pepper in the darkened bedroom.

He found her crouched down near the front-window, as asked, with the alarm clock plugged in, the face flashing "12:00", and the red glow from the display illuminating Pepper's face. She had the radio switched on, and was turning the dial, trying to find the signal of a radio station. But she wasn't having much luck.

" _Damn_ it!" she murmured in a huff. "All I'm getting is static!"

"That _might_ work," Tony said, shrugging.

Pepper stopped what she was doing, and looked at him skeptically. "I was hoping for a little better than _might,_ Tony!" she replied.

"Here, _gimme,_ " Tony said, laying the gun against the bed, and holding out his hand. "We might have better luck finding an AM frequency."

Pepper handed it over, and he switched it to AM, and then fiddled with the dial. Soon, he stumbled upon a radio's station frequency. It wasn't the clearest reception, but it would work. "Bingo," he muttered.

He cranked the volume dial as far as it would go. It was blaring "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree", and Pepper quickly covered her ears, wincing at the shrill assault of the decibel level. Tony crouched beneath the window, but reached up to slowly slide the window open, just wide enough to prop the radio up on the sill on its side as he'd planned. He quickly popped his head up to spot where the cat was. As he did so, Pepper, still with her fingers in her ears, took position next to him, and looked out the window as well. Suddenly, a loud, and very annoyed-sounding shriek came from the cat, and Pepper gasped, recoiling. But then the animal bolted from the porch, as a result of it being startled, and ran a distance away from the cabin before it turned back to be sure it was clear of the threat. Tony watched as it huffed in defeat, and sauntered back into the trees.

He turned to Pepper, and grinned triumphantly. Then he took the radio out of the window, and slammed it shut before he turned the radio off. Pepper's eyes went wide, as she removed her fingers from her ears. "Did it work? Is it gone?" she asked hopefully.

"Us, _two_. Mr. Mountain Lion? _Zip,_ " Tony clucked cockily, with a smirk.

Pepper gasped and beamed, and threw her arms around Tony's neck. "Oh, thank God!" she cried in great relief. Tony wrapped his arms around her, and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"It's okay, Pep," he murmured.

Pepper pulled back, still visibly shaken from the experience, but trying to put on a brave face. Tony studied her face, and then cupped her cheek. "Pepper?" he asked, looking into her eyes, with concern.

"W-what?" she stammered, trying to calm down.

Seeing she was still greatly disturbed, he opted to take measures to help get her mind off of it. He flashed her a wide grin, but then feigned seriousness. He then grasped her hands and brought them to his chest in his. Pepper watched in silence, and then gave him a look of curiosity. "You _know,_ " he said, looking deeply into her eyes. "I've _always_ fantasized about getting you alone in the bedroom, but _this..."_

Pepper promptly released one of her hands from his grasp to smack him on the shoulder in reply. He flinched. "Ow!" he whimpered, but chuckled in amusement as he saw her start to relax. She smiled back, rolling her eyes and shaking her head at his remark. But none-the-less, she found she wasn't afraid anymore. And she was _very_ grateful for it.

"You're not funny," she replied, giving him a wry smirk.

Tony shrugged. "Okay, I'm not funny," he said. Then he looked at her intently. "But you _do_ feel better now, though, right? Now that my gallant act of heroism chased the big bad cat away?" he asked knowingly.

Pepper sighed. "Yes. You're my _hero,_ Tony Stark. Happy?" she quipped back.

Tony smirked, and then used the tips of his fingers to brush her hair behind her ears before cupping her face in his hands. "Not _quite,_ " he cooed, before he brought his lips to hers and kissed her soundly.

Pepper melted into the kiss, not being able to help a breathy moan that escaped her lips. Tony moaned back, and then slowly broke the kiss to gaze into her eyes. " _Now,_ I'm happy. I had to claim my reward, after all," he explained.

" _Me? I'm_ your reward?" Pepper asked, looking at him skeptically.

Tony teeter-tottered his head from side to side. "In... _so_ many words." He could sense her disapproval. "Okay, hold on, I...uh...I think maybe I should _rephrase_ that statement..." he stammered.

"Oh. I _would,_ " Pepper huffed, trying her best to give him a disgruntled glower, but secretly she was very amused by him verbally tripping over himself.

Tony gave her a sheepish grin. "What I _meant_ to say was, I think we make a pretty good _team,_ " he explained. "Wouldn't you _say,_ Pep?" he asked, hoping she'd accept his recanting.

Pepper softened. "We make a _darn_ good team," she replied resolutely. "And nice _save,_ by the way,"she teased.

Tony chuckled. "See? Like I said. _T_ _hat's_ why I need you in my life," he told her. "To keep me in line."

"You're forgetting. I _already_ do that. On a _daily_ basis," Pepper retorted. "In fact, that's what you pay me to _do, Mr. Stark,"_ she teased.

Tony pretended to be deeply considering her words, while simultaneously rocking the both of them backwards so that she was once again on her back, and under him. And Pepper happily let him. "Uh huh. And you know what, Ms. Potts? It's come to my attention that we need to..." he said, clearing his throat. " ' _Expand'_ those duties to include some more _personal,_ possibly even _sexual_..."

"Watch it," Pepper joked, with her finger pointed at his chest in warning.

Tony just pumped his eyebrows playfully, and bent to continue where he'd left off on her neck. Pepper inhaled deeply. "Discussion...to be...continued," she moaned, before the ability to form words left her completely, and she was once again rendered helpless against his advances. They continued on the bedroom floor this way for a few minutes. But sadly, the moment was once again interrupted, as Pepper's forehead began to throb.

She abruptly broke their kiss, and inhaled sharply through her teeth, wincing. Tony looked at her in concern. "Pep? You okay?" he asked.

"I just...I think I need to take it easy," she answered, giving him a reluctant grimace at having to end their make out session once again.

Tony nodded. "Got it," he said, climbing off of her, and standing up. He offered her a hand, and she accepted. He slowly pulled her up off the floor, and gave her a concerned once over, his brow furrowed with worry.

Pepper gave him a gentle, reassuring smile. "I'll be _fine,_ Tony," she said. "I just need to relax for a little while, I think."

"I'm just sorry you're in pain again, that's all," he admitted. He wrapped her in his arms, and bent to peck her lips. Pulling her close, he gazed lovingly into her eyes. "But all is not lost for us, Pep," he said.

Pepper looked at him curiously. "Oh?" she asked. "What did you have in mind?"

Tony gave her a mischievous smirk. "What say you to maybe...continuing our plan for the evening? I restoke the fire? We go back to cozying up on the couch under the blanket together?" he cooed. "You have to admit, it _was_ feeling pretty good before we got so rudely interrupted."

"It _was._ And I'd agree, that sounds _perfect,"_ Pepper purred back.

Tony grinned in approval. "And you know what they _say_ _,"_ he began, his voice a low suggestive rumble. He was trying his best to give her a smolder, but this only made Pepper giggle. _"_ The best way to maintain body heat is if you can snuggle up with another person."

" _Really._ How _convenient,_ " Pepper replied, looking at him with a wry smile. "And _t_ _hey?_ Who's _they,_ might I ask?"

 _"_ The...people who study this type of thing. _Scientists._ Very _important_ scientists who study the effects of body heat on people who are..." he cleared his throat awkwardly, and continued. "Hot for each other. Incidentally, most of their studies are performed with their test subjects fully in the _nude."_

 _"_ Uh- _huh,_ " Pepper replied, trying not to giggle. _It would only encourage him_ , she thought, in her amusement.

"Yep. Can't argue with science, Pep. Naked people conduct heat better than _clothed_ people, while under a blanket, and _possibly_ making out, in front of a fire, in a cabin, in the woods, in the middle of..." Tony yammered.

Pepper couldn't help herself this time. She laughed out loud, and Tony chuckled at her laughing at him. "Okay, that's enough of that," she said. She shook her head, and grinned before going in for another soft kiss. Tony kissed her back. "Now come on, you," she said, pulling him by the hand out of the bedroom and down the hallway toward the living room. Tony just grinned to himself at being able to keep her spirits high. But also, he was delighted at getting the chance back to have her in his arms again. He was thrilled that he even found himself _wanting_ to do this with a woman. Typically, he was all about getting straight to business. _Funny what being with the right girl will do,_ he thought to himself, and he grinned even more.


	12. Chapter 12

**_It's November! And time to start decorating for Christmas! (No, I'm serious! And YES! I AM one of those crazy Christmas people, LOL!) So what better way to welcome in the holiday season than to update my Christmas fic? ;) Hope you enjoy it. Some very tender moments take place. (GOD, I miss these two!) Anyway, thank you as always for your continued support! Your feedback means so much! :D_**

 ** _P.S.- I thought I'd share what I'm listening to as I write this one. Check out Ronan Keating's "Winter Song". It paints the overall feel I want to convey for this story pretty well, IMO. At least, in my mind. Let me know what you think, if you take a listen! Music has been such a great tool for me to use when I write! Plus, it doesn't hurt that I'm a giant fan of all kinds of music! :D_**

 ** _Happy Reading! :D_**

Pepper watched from her seat on the couch as Tony added wood to the fire, stoking the flames. Soon, the fire grew again, and bathed them both in warm, orange light. " _There_ we go," he said approvingly, before he turned to smile at her. "Got room for one more?" he asked, noticing her spreading the blanket out around her.

She gave him a coy smile. "Of _course,_ " she purred, and patted the seat next to her.

He grinned, and joined her on the sofa, turning his back against the arm rest, and stretching his legs along the length of the cushions. He motioned for her to come to him to lay against his chest. "Come here," he said.

Pepper obliged, laying her upper body against his chest, and positioning her lower half between his legs. Tony curled his arms around her protectively, and moaned in approval. "Ohhhhhhh, yeah, " he purred, wiggling to settle into his spot with her. " _That's_ the stuff." Then, he gave her an affectionate squeeze, and kissed the top of her head lovingly.

Pepper snuggled further into his embrace, pulling the blanket up around them. "Mmmmm hmmmm," she cooed back. "This _does_ feel pretty nice, doesn't it?" she replied.

Tony smiled, thrilled that she was enjoying this as much as he was. "Yeah, it _does,"_ he cooed happily. And then he began gently combing his fingers through her hair, sending sparks shooting up and down her spine.

She closed her eyes and moaned. "And _that_ feels even _better,"_ she said, her voice dreamy.

Tony chuckled, and continued stroking her hair. "I love it, _too_ ," he replied.

"I _know,"_ Pepper said. She turned her eyes up to his, and he tilted his head to look at her curiously.

"What do you mean?" he said, with a curious smirk.

Pepper smiled, turning her body so she could look at him squarely, while resting her chin on her hand at his chest. Tony kept stroking her hair. "I _mean,_ I _know_ you like it when somebody runs their fingers through your hair. But _only_ when it's not full of product, and been freshly perfected," she teased. "Or you're too drunk to care," she added.

Tony chuckled, and nodded, but then looked at her curiously again. "Well, you're not _wrong_. But I'm just trying to remember exactly how you would know that? _"_ he asked.

Pepper furrowed her brow, but then realized he honestly didn't recall what she was speaking of. So she shrugged, and dismissed it, turning back around. "Nothing. Never mind," she said softly, perfectly willing to dismiss that he didn't recall what she was referring to. _It isn't any wonder why he doesn't remember,_ she thought. _He was FAR from sober._

But Tony's curiosity was getting the best of him. "No, Pep. Tell me. I wanna know. When was it that you've... _wait,_ " he urged, but suddenly halted his speech. Pepper turned to look at him again, and saw the gears in his mind working to recall what she was talking about. His eyes met hers once more, and she cocked a questioning eyebrow at him.

He gave her an embarrassed smile, and nodded to himself. "Yeah, never mind. I...uh, I remember now," he told her, his voice soft and his eyes wistful.

XxXxXxXx

 _"Hey, everybody! Pipe down, would'ja? This is important!" Tony slurred loudly into the microphone he'd yanked away from the singer of the band after banging loudly on the side of his tumbler full of Scotch with a spoon in front of most of Stark Industries's staff had failed to get their attention._

 _Pepper grimaced and lowered her head. "Oh, God. Here we go," she muttered under her breath._

 _"My lovely assistant, Pepper,_ _told me I should make a toast!" he announced. "_ _It's supposedly the right and proper thing for the president of a company to do at a function such as this," he blathered, trying to sound very official. "So here I AM," he finished flippantly._

 _Pepper could feel the icy scrutiny of all of the eyes in the room staring the both of them down. She i_ _nstantly admonished herself for ever mentioning the company Christmas party to him that year,_ _as she knew the floodgates would be swung wide open for him to display any of his usual typically inappropriate behavior he always did at these kinds of events. She_ _then offered an apologetic look in reply to the other nearby party goers for what they were about to endure, trying to convince them that it_ _was certainly was NOT her idea that he needed to get up in front of the group and do ANYTHING. Instead, she'd secretly prayed that if he did indeed show up, he'd show up sober, shake a few hands in the room, and then promptly LEAVE sober. Or at least sober-ish. "Nice wish," she muttered to herself,_ _before turning her eyes back to her very inebriated boss, her cheeks turning more and more crimson by the second, and watched_ _him like he was a bomb ready to go off as he smirked at his reluctant on-lookers. She hurriedly tried_ _to think of the best plausible excuse to use on him to get him away from the crowd as quickly and as quietly as possible. "Now, Tony, I never..." she started to counter, smiling and chuckling awkwardly._

 _"Yes, you did, Pep! Don't you remember? 'Tony, your adoring employees need to hear from their fearless leader!' " he chirped in a whiney, mockingly effeminate tone, obviously thinking this was a suitable impression of her. He laughed heartily at his own joke. But the room had fallen dead silent. However, he was oblivious, and continued. "_ _Or SOMETHING like that anyway._ _Right, Pep? Pepper? Pepper Pitts?" he paused to teeter drunkenly to himself again. "Fuck. I can't even talk. I mean, Potts? THE one and only Pepper...Virginia Potts?" he babbled. "By the way, nice dress. You look hot. You look alllllll...sparkly," he slurred, waggling his fingers in her direction. Pepper looked down at the mother-of-pearl sequined cocktail dress she was wearing, and then averted her eyes from his leering, the sound of people's disdainful gasps and murmurs at his crass behavior echoing in her ears._

 _Alright. For the sake of all of us,_ _I've got to put a stop to this, she thought._ _She huffed, squared her shoulders, and pasted on a polite smile, trying to appear the consummate professional. "Ewwwkay, I think it would be best if we just..." she said, quickly striding to him to attempt to get the mic from him, so she could lead him out of the room._

 _But Tony wasn't having it. He scowled at her, and dodged her attempts to grab his hand, like a fussy, squirming child. "No, Pepper! I haven't told them what they all wanna hear, yet!" he argued in a loud, drunken whisper, keeping the microphone just out of her reach. He turned to the crowd, and raised his voice. "So here it goes! The moment you've all been waiting for! The royal proclamation!" he stated, with a sanctimonious beller._

 _"Oh, hell," Pepper muttered under her breath, hanging her head in defeat. She suddenly felt like she was aboard a runaway train headed straight for a cliff. Anything could happen in the coming seconds, but one thing was certain. S_ _he could do NOTHING to stop it._

 _"Tony, please," she desperately pleaded one last time, but he ignored her._

 _"I just want you all to know, I appreciate what you do, day in and day out," he graciously began._

 _Pepper's eyes suddenly widened in surprise, and she raised her head back up to look at him. Could it be he was actually going to say something thoughtful, let alone coherent?, she thought. She stood stone still, anxiously awaiting his next words._

 _"Because that's the very thing that keeps the dough rolling in. Your work. Everyday, all day, you toil away. Punch that clock. Earn that dollar. You all do it so that I don't have to..." he stammered. He frowned, and wobbled a little on his feet. Pepper braced for the worst, but he managed to steady himself once more, and then took another swig from his glass before he continued. "...Because that's the only thing I'm good for, right? Signing those checks and throwing some kick ass parties? Isn't that what everybody thinks? That I'm just Howard's no good kid? Living it up? In my mansion on the hill? 'Cept when you need me to pay for a Christmas party, I guess. Or...give out raises? No, wait. I don't do that. That's..." he turned his head to back to Pepper. "Pepper, help me out here. Who handles raises?" he asked, with a confused frown._

 _This time audible gasps and groans erupted from the crowd. Pepper grimaced as she looked out over the sea of disgruntled faces. I know this looks bad, but y_ _ou don't understand, she thought to herself. He doesn't mean any of this. He's just hurting. Badly. And he doesn't know how to deal with it any other way._

 _She turned her eyes back to him. "Tony," she begged weakly, but it proved futile once again._

 _He just waived a dismissing hand at her. "You're right. Never mind, it's not important. Doesn't matter. What I was TRYING to say was...yer right! You're all right. And Pop? My dad? HE was right about me, too!" he exclaimed. Then he started chuckling darkly. "I'm...just a...I..." He suddenly decided to stop talking and looked out across crowd. "You know what? Fuck it. I don't need this shit. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year. Whatever. I'm out," he rattled bitterly, and shoved the mic back into Pepper's hands. People began booing, and hurling insults at him, calling him names like buzzkill, a scrooge, and just another rich asshole as he staggered away._

 _Pepper's heart broke as she watched him leave. But she found she couldn't bear to let him go off by himself, no matter how obnoxious he'd been. She knew, after so many years of seeing him like this during the holiday season, that the LAST thing Tony Stark needed right now was to be alone. So she quickly re_ _placed the mic back on its stand, directed the band to play something upbeat to get the party back on track, and then ran after him._

 _Moments later, she found him in his office, sitting slumped down in his desk chair, his refilled glass in his hand. He had his back turned to her, and was staring out the window at the lights of the factory grounds outside. She knew he had to have heard her come in, but refused to acknowledge it with anything other than grunting, "What're you doing here? I'm fine," at her._

 _"Funny. You don't seem fine," Pepper replied, matter of fact. She_ _walked quietly across the room, saving the rest of her remark until she rounded the chair he sat in. "In fact, you seem pretty miserable," she finished._

 _"Mmmmm Hmmmmm, well I AM!" he retorted. "Fine, I mean. Woo hoo, it's Christmas!" he chirped sarcastically, and raising his glass in the air, the liquid in it sloshing precariously from side to side. "There. See? All is well. So go home, Pep. Or go back to the party. You're off the hook," he told her, before gulping down another mouthful and swallowing it hard. He smacked his lips, and then held the glass up, pretending to carefully examine the remainder of its contents._

 _"Tony?"_

 _"Ms. Potts?" he bitterly jabbed back. He shot her a looked that_ _clearly indicated he was annoyed she was still standing there. But then he softened, unable to fake his ire with her any longer._ _"Please, Pepper. Just go," he murmured, begging. "You don't need to see this. NOBODY needs to see this."_

 _But she just stood firm, denying his request. So they held each others gazes for several moments, until he eventually broke his away from hers, and turned his eyes back to the view outside._

 _"You know you don't have to do this," Pepper murmured. "You don't have to push me away like this. I'm here because I care, Tony. By all rights, I shouldn't. But I DO, so that's why I'm here."_

 _Tony scoffed. "Glutton for punishment," he muttered, and brought his glass to his lips again, taking another long pull from it, to finish it off. He frowned when he realized his glass was empty._

 _"No," Pepper argued. She stepped in front of his chair, and crouched down to be able to look into his eyes. He purposely kept his eyes from her stare, but she just patiently waited until he gave up and reluctantly looked at her again. But when his gaze fell on her, she gasped softly, as she was taken aback by the amount of pain she saw in his eyes. H_ _is expression was positively soaked with heartache. And despite_ _everything she already knew he was going through, it still managed to take her breath away, rendering her temporarily speechless. She swallowed hard, trying to hide her reaction, and worked to form her next words. "I'm also here..." she began again, slowly and very deliberately. "Because the LAST thing you need to be right now is ALONE."_

 _Tony looked at her with a defensive frown, but then softened once more, and look away. Pepper noticed his eyes go glassy, and he bit his bottom lip to stop his chin from quivering. "I guess I just..." he murmured. He worked his jaw again for a moment before bringing his eyes back to hers. "I miss them. You know?" he revealed, his voice a soft whisper._

 _Pepper's throat tightened from the lump forming in it, and she bit her lip as well to hide her own emotion. He rarely allowed it, but on the rare occasion when he DID break the facade of his bravado, and show her his complete and utter vulnerability, all she wanted to do was to throw her arms around him, and tell him it was all going to be okay. But considering the delicacy of the situation, she didn't. Instead, she gave him a warm, understanding smile, and nodded. "I know you do," she said._

 _Tony spluttered, and chuckled at himself. "It's that obvious, huh?_ _God, I must look like such a pussy!_ _" he said, grinning despite his hurt. "But my mom? I miss my mom a lot. She was a good lady. You would'a liked her, Pep."_

 _Pepper smiled, but stayed silent, so he could continue._

 _"But why am I missing my asshole father so much, huh?! The guy hated my guts! At least, it FELT like he did. So what the hell? Right? But it's TRUE. I DO. I can't help it. I miss him. So how fucked up is that? Maybe I'M the glutton for punishment," he reasoned._

 _"Relationships are complicated, Tony. Especially with our parents. No matter the circumstances," Pepper assured him. "So it makes perfect sense, what you're going through. Maybe not to THEM out THERE," she told him, gesturing to the party goers downstairs. "But to ME, it does. And to anyone who really knows you."_

 _Tony looked intently into her eyes, and Pepper watched the hurt she'd seen before slowly give way to a soft, appreciative grin. Her heart swelled at the sight, and she smiled delightedly back. "Now, on the other hand, is your behavior EXCUSABLE? No. Not really," she teased, and he chuckled at her._

 _"Yeah, I guess I kinda made an ass of myself out there, didn't I?" he asked sheepishly, and Pepper had no choice but to wince and nod in the affirmative. Tony just chuckled at himself, and rolled his eyes in embarrassment. "Okay. I guess I gotta atone, here, then. So, give 'em..."_

 _"Raises?" Pepper offered, with a wry smirk._

 _His eyebrows shot up, but then he teeter-tottered his head from side to side, considering her suggestion. "Seems...fitting," he muttered. "Okay, fine. Yes. Raises. Whatever you think it should be. I trust you. Just...put it through...who ever...takes care of...that," he replied, with a dismissing hand._

 _Pepper spluttered, and giggled as she shook her head. "You honestly have no clue who handles these things, do you?" she asked, grinning._

 _Tony chuckled, his eyes once again sparkling in amusement. "Oh, not in the SLIGHTEST," he dead-panned, and Pepper laughed. He smiled at making her laugh. "But that's what I've got YOU for, so..." His voice trailed off and they gazed at each other intently again for a moment. Pepper realized the hurt in his eyes was now completely gone, and it made her smile at the fact that she'd succeeding in lifting his spirits._

 _"You're a good man, Tony Stark," she murmured in admiration. She rose up on her knees to become eye-level with him. "No matter what you or anyone else might think."_

 _Tony smiled at her appreciatively. "Thanks, Pep. It's nice to know somebody in this world thinks so," he replied. They smiled at each other, but soon, their smiles faded and they fell into an entranced stare, as the familiar sense of the sexual tension between them caught them up once again, unawares, in the moment. Their chests began to heave, and Pepper couldn't help leaning slightly more in to his space as her eyes flicked down from his eyes to his parted lips and back up again. Tony's eyes did the same to hers, and he swallowed hard as a slightly nervous frown ghosted over his brow. Pepper sensed this, and then pulled back, biting her lips together as she_ _awkwardly_ _averted her eyes from his gaze. Tony exhaled to himself in secret disappointment, staying silent, anxiously awaiting her next move._

 _Meanwhile, Pepper painted a polite smile across her lips, and brought her eyes back up to meet his. Tony smiled politely back._

 _"Well, then," she said, slowly standing up_ _, his eyes following her as she rose to her feet in front of him. She held out her hand. "W_ _hat do you say to getting you home and into bed, hmmmm?" she suggested._

 _But Tony frowned. Then he slowly shook his head. "I'm not sure I wanna go home, Pep," he replied, his expression once again traced with sorrow._

 _Pepper briefly closed her eyes, and nodded in understanding. "Right. I'm sorry. The whole 'being alone right now' idea," she said. But then she brightened. "I..._ _still_ _could stay?" she offered, giving him an impish smile. "Even if you just want to stay here, I'm...happy to keep you company?"_

 _Tony's eyes suddenly widened in mock surprise, and he gave her a cocky smirk. "Merry Christmas to ME!" he purred suggestively, which made Pepper splutter and shoot him a scornful, but playful, look. She rolled her eyes._

 _"That's NOT what I meant, and you know it," she warned, with a wry smirk, pointing her finger at him as he rose up out of his chair._

 _"Yeah, yeah, Pep. You might SAY that,..." he began, teasing her, but then he flashed her his trademark grin, softening her resolve even further as he grasped her hand in both of his and brought it to his lips to kiss it. He then patted it affectionately. "No, I know what you meant, Pep. And BELIEVE me. I appreciate the offer," he assured her, looking into her eyes intently. "To be honest, I guess I don't care WHERE we are, as long as we're..." he started to say, but then hesitated. "Together," he finished simply, his voice soft._

 _Pepper's cheeks reddened, and she smiled. "Well, like I said. I..." she began. "I...couldn't allow you to be by yourself tonight, so..."_

 _"Yeah, I'm really no good alone, am I?" he joked, and they chuckled. "And, thankfully, I...don't have to be," he concluded gratefully. "So, please, Pep. Stay? At least for a little while?"  
_

 _Pepper smiled and nodded. "Of course, " she murmured, and Tony smiled in delight._ _He_ _then made a grand, gentlemanly gesture of placing her hand in the crook of his arm, which made her giggle._

 _"Then, right this way, ma' dam," he clucked, making Pepper giggle again at him as he walked her over to the long, leather sofa near the office entry._

 _When they reached it, he offered his hand for assistance as she sat down. Pepper gave him a curtsy, playing along with his ceremonious charade, before taking a seat. He smiled and winked at her, and then clasped his hands together. "A drink, my lady?" he joked. "What can I get you?"_

 _"Ah, no, thank you," Pepper said, holding up a hand in refusal. "And none for YOU, for that matter. I think you've gotten yourself into quite enough trouble for one night."_

 _Tony winced, and then nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're probably right," he admitted. "So in THAT case..." He quickly sat down beside her, but didn't stop there. Pepper gasped, as Tony proceeded to stretch out on the couch to lie down, placing his head in her lap. "AHHHHHHHH," he moaned, smiling with great satisfaction._

 _"What is THIS? What are you doing?" she asked, trying to stifle her amusement._

 _"Isn't it obvious? I'm getting comfortable," he explained plainly. "It's a tad scratchy, the dress, though. But it'll do in a pinch."_

 _"So glad I can accommodate," Pepper quipped, smirking at his impetuousness._

 _Tony brought his eyes upwards to hers and shrugged. "Hey, YOU'RE the one who offered to stay," he reminded her._

 _"Yes, I recall," she teased. "And you're going to make me earn every bit of that offer, I see."_

 _"Honestly, though? Is this too much to ask?" he asked, turning his head to look at her questioningly. He propped himself up on an elbow. "Because if you WANT, we can go back down stairs and subject ourselves to all of the prying eyes and quiet whispers. You KNOW they're all talking about us right now, Potts. Wondering where we've run off to together," he teased._

 _Pepper rolled her eyes, and sighed, feigning exasperation. "Oh, just lie down, already," she demanded sternly. Tony smirked at her in triumph and did as instructed, and Pepper laid a hand on his chest. He smiled to himself at the gesture. "As for the prying eyes and quiet whispers, I'm sure that's already in full swing. And there will be plenty of that to face when Monday rolls around, as well, I assure you," she went on to say._

 _"Oh, I'm sure! The things you have to put up with from your crazy boss. Right, Ms. Potts?" Tony joked._

 _Pepper chuckled._ _"And how! By the way, thank you SO much for stirring up the office gossip. I feared it was starting to go stale," she retorted wryly._

 _It was Tony's turn to laugh. "Meh. Let 'em talk," he replied, waving a dismissive hand at the thought. "They'll be on to something else in no time. Meanwhile, I appreciate the fact that you DO put up with me, Pep. I mean it. Not only are you a damn good assistant, but you're a damn good friend, too."_

 _Pepper smiled appreciatively. "Thank you," she said. "Even if you ARE a giant pain in the ass."_

 _Tony chuckled. "Aw, c'mon. You'd miss it if it were gone," he teased._

 _Well, he's not wrong, Pepper thought to herself, trying to hide her smile behind the back of the hand she brought to her mouth._

 _"Now then," Tony said. He cleared his throat, and straightened his positioning. "Commence with the hair combing," he commanded._

 _Pepper frowned. "What?" she asked flatly._

 _"The fingers through the hair. C'mon, I know you wanna. You can't resist these luscious locks. No woman can," he joked._

 _"Oh, puh-leez!" Pepper scoffed. "You've GOT to be kidding me."_

 _"Okay, what if I WANT you to comb your fingers through my hair, huh? What if nothing would make me happier?" he contested._

 _"Tony? By keeping you company, I meant maybe getting you some coffee? Sobering you up? Maybe having a little pleasant conversation to get your mind off of things? Or, at the very least, staying with you until you fell asleep," she explained._

 _Tony snapped his fingers. "There you go. That's the one. The 'sleeping it off' bit. And nothing will help that along more than those dainty digits of yours stroking my hair. So get to it, Potts. C'mon. Indulge me."_

 _Pepper exhaled sharply. "Alright, alright," she huffed. She hesitated at first, a little taken a back by the level of intimacy of such a task. But Tony closed his eyes, and settled in again, then opened one eye to look at her expectantly. Pepper pursed her lips in thought, finally figuring that his head WAS already in her lap, so she wouldn't be going much further to indulge his request. And it wasn't like he was asking her to do something sexual. It was just a more personal request from him than she was used to. But in the name of putting him at ease, she began, leaving the one hand on his chest, and using the other, previously at her mouth, to begin lightly stroking his hair. Tony instantly melted. He moaned happily in approval, truly enjoying her touch._

 _Pepper smiled at this reaction. Truth be told, she was secretly enjoying what she was doing as well. He wasn't wrong when he said women loved to touch his hair. It WAS quite soft, even though it had been carefully coiffed with a generous amount of product. His Italian genes had lent to it plenty of thickness and body. In short, it was hair a lot of men would kill for. And a lot of women would kill to be in my position at the moment,_ _she couldn't help but admit to herself._

 _"How am I doing?" she murmured to him, after a few quiet moments._

 _"Maaaaarvelously," he cooed, his voice soft and drowsy. Another long silence fell between them, and Pepper soon noticed his breathing had changed. She watched his chest rise and fall rhythmically for several moments, and she assumed that he'd dozed off. She smiled, admiring the peace that had come over him. But suddenly, he muttered something in his light slumber._

 _"Merry Christmas, Pepper," he murmured to her._

 _Pepper smiled, her cheeks blushing at the sweet, simple gesture. "Merry Christmas, Tony," she murmured softly back._


	13. Chapter 13

"No Rhodey and no Obie to help you out _that_ year," Tony recalled.

" _Nope,_ " Pepper replied. "They were both out of the country at the time. So, I was left to wrangle you all by myself, lucky _me,"_ she joked.

But Tony frowned. "Well, for what it's worth, though? It was _you_ who got me through a lot of rough Christmases over the years. _None_ of them were my finest hour, but..."

Pepper smiled kindly at him, knowing exactly what he meant _._ Tony continued.

"You were _there_ for me. And that's what means the most. That's what _counts._ You know?" he said, looking deeply into her eyes.

Pepper's smile grew and she scooted up onto her knees to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She nodded. "I _do_ know. And despite it _all,_ it was my pleasure," she said, before tilting her head to kiss him. Tony let out a soft moan, and pulled her further into his embrace. He brushed her hair behind her ears with the tips of his fingers before cupping one of her cheeks in his hand. Pepper pulled her arms back from around his neck to run her fingers through his hair on the back of his head, and he moaned again in approval. She smiled to herself at the sound. And as the kiss wound down, and the embrace broke, they slowly pulled away, and smiled lovingly at each other. Tony brushed the tips of their noses together, and then gave her lips one more soft peck before pulling back to look at her.

"I love you," he murmured.

Pepper smiled, though it was traced with trepidation. She nodded. "I know," she murmured back.

"Then, that's all I need right now," Tony reassured her. He looked into her eyes for understanding, and Pepper nodded.

"Thank you," she murmured back. "For understanding."

Tony smiled, and raised his lips to hers one more, flicking his tongue playfully into her mouth as he kissed her. Pepper did the same, and they continued for a few moments longer, enjoying each other.

Once the kiss broke, Pepper rested her forehead on his for a moment, until they both opened their eyes. When they caught each others gazes again, they chuckled softly.

"Gotta say, I'm not minding the way _this_ Christmas is turning out," Tony murmured. "All things considered."

Pepper looked at him in thought before she slowly shook her head. "Neither am _I,_ actually. All things _considered_ ," she replied in agreement.

"Sure, it would be better if we were here voluntarily, and not because of what happened, but," Tony said. He shrugged. "I'm just glad we're together. That you're _okay,_ and we're _together_."

Pepper smiled in agreement.

Tony gazed at her in thought for a moment before he spoke again. "You know, I wasn't sure I could save you," he revealed. "Last night, I mean. It keeps replaying over and over in my mind. I just...I was scared I'd lost you, Pep. Right there. On the river bank. And I..."

"Tony?" Pepper said. She could see the residual anxiety of his recollection start to flood back into his mind, and that he was about to get carried away with it. She cupped his cheeks in both hands, and made him look at her. " _Listen_ to me," she urged.

He did as she asked, staying silent as he trained his eyes on hers. She continued.

"You saved me. I'm only here because of what you did," she reminded him. "God knows _what_ would have happened if I'd been alone. So, I'm eternally grateful to you, _believe_ me," she told him.

Tony gave her a smile in acknowledgment of her words, and she smiled and nodded in satisfaction before turning back around to lay against his chest again. "There's no use in worrying about what _could_ have happened," she explained, settling back in and pulling the blanket back over them. "The fact is you prevented it from happening. And that's what's important." She raised her eyes to look up at him. "Like I said. That makes you my _hero,_ Tony Stark," she cooed teasingly, trying to lighten the mood.

He chuckled. "Just missing the mask and the cape," he joked back. They both laughed. Then, Pepper shrugged.

"Who knows? Maybe you could make a career out of it someday," she teased. "If the munitions market ever goes belly up, at least you know you could become a..."

"What? Some kind of caped crusader? A _super-hero?"_ Tony interjected, cocking a skeptical eyebrow. He scoffed. "Yeah, not sure I'd be the best candidate for _that,_ Potts. Plus, this might come as a shock? But I'm not a _giant_ fan of spandex, so..."

Pepper laughed at the visual image that suddenly popped into her brain of Tony being clad in a head-to-toe, lycra body sock.

He chuckled at her, instantly guessing what she was imagining. "Yeah, see? Even _you_ can't handle _that_ mental picture," he teased. "And you've caught me in some pretty precarious get-ups in the past." He inhaled sharply through is teeth at the recollection. "Yikes. Not good."

Pepper laughed out loud even harder, and Tony smiled, enjoying the sound of it. "Well, nobody said it has to be spandex. The man makes the suit, Tony. The suit doesn't make the man. Figuratively _and_ literally, in _this_ case. So I'm sure you could engineer... _something_ that would suit you better," she offered.

Tony shrugged. "I 'spose I could, yeah," he agreed. "But the good news is, I don't _have_ to. That is...unless you _want_ a super-hero boyfriend?" he asked.

Pepper turned her eyes up to look at him.

Tony gave her a curious look back. "Wait. Are you... are you _trying_ to tell me you're...into role play or something, Ms. Potts?" he asked cautiously, but his tone very suggestive. "Cuz' I'm _down,_ if that's what..."

Pepper scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, give me a _break,"_ she replied, not being able to help the blush in her cheeks, and the sheepish smirk spreading over her lips.

"Ah! _See?!_ " he hooted smugly, pointing at her embarrassed expression. "That's _it,_ isn't it?! You get off on the make-believe stuff, don't you?!" He gasped at his perceived sudden discovery. Pepper giggled at him teasing her.

"Well, why didn't you _say_ so?" he crowed. "You know, I never would have pegged you for the kinky type, but I'm game, honey! Spandex it _is!"_

 _"God,_ no!" Pepper begged.

"God, _yes!"_ Tony countered, his eyes wild with giddiness. "I've got your number on _this,_ Pep! And that settles it! When we get back home, I'm heading _straight_ to the costume shop and finding you the loudest, spangly-iest... _OOOOH!_ Sequins! Yeah, something with sequins, and...maybe purple? I dunno. Or fluorescent pink?" he teased.

"Fluorescent _pink?!"_ Pepper chirped, still giggling.

Tony nodded emphatically. "Yeah! Or what about traffic-cone orange? Now _that'_ _s_ an attractive look. Or..." He gasped, his eyes going wide again with a sudden epiphany. " _Red._ Yeah. That's a hot color, right? Gets the blood pumping?"

Pepper spluttered in a giggle, during which she just smacked him playfully in the chest. He flinched, and then chuckled at her embarrassment. She waved her hands in surrender. "No spandex, no role play," she retorted, still chuckling. She shook her head. "You're are just... _too_ much sometimes."

Tony raised his hands in defense. "Hey, all I know is I could probably out and out _rock_ a red unitard. So, you change your mind? The offer's on the table," he joked.

Pepper tried to stifle her amusement. "I'll, uh, I'll keep that in _mind,_ Tony," she replied, before giggling at him again. He chuckled back at her, admiring the light in her eyes.

He took a moment longer to gaze at her, and Pepper noticed, just as she had when they were in the kitchen. She gave him a bashful smile again, and looked at him curiously. "What?" she asked.

"You're beautiful," he murmured softly.

" _Tony,_ " Pepper cooed. She watched as he grasped her hand in his, and brought the back of it to his lips, giving it a tender kiss before putting it to his chest, over his heart. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered feverishly at the gesture, and it made her cheeks flush. She flicked her eyes to his, and saw he was smiling her, his eyes sparkling with delight at the obvious effect he was having on her.

Pepper quickly averted her eyes, and bit her lips together, shaking her head. She spluttered with a giggle. "C'mon. Stop looking at me like that," she warned teasingly.

"Like what?" Tony teased back.

"You _know,"_ Pepper countered. "Like... _that,"_ she said, gesturing to the mischievous grin he was wearing.

"No, I don't know. Like what, Pep? Like...like _this?"_ he said, making a goofy face at her. She spluttered again, and laughed out loud.

"Or...like... _this?"_ he said, making his most menacing mean face. Pepper just closed her eyes and shook her head, trying not to smile.

"Or, was it... _this,"_ he said, pouting seductively and giving her a smolder.

"Oh that _definitely..."_ she started to say. Tony's eyebrows shot up in thrilled anticipation.

" _Wasn't_ it," she said, continuing. "Though it's a familiar look, I have to say. I've seen it _many, many_ times before. With _countless_ other _female..."_

 _"Alright, now_ you're just busting my balls," he interjected. They chuckled at each other.

"No, I _believe_ it was... _this_ face," Tony said, smiling at her adoringly, his deep chocolate brown eyes gazing intently into hers, making her suddenly, and once again, feel like the more important person on the planet to him. And Pepper felt the butterflies flutter madly again, followed by the same flushing of her cheeks. She gave him a coy smile back in reply.

"Ahhhhhh, _there_ we go. We have a winner," Tony murmured. "And for the record, I am _loving_ what it does to you."

Pepper's coy smile slowly turned sly with arousal. She cocked an eyebrow, and smoothed her hands up his chest, then wrapped her arms around his neck. "Well, as long as we're _on record_ _,"_ she murmured, her voice smokey, her breath steamy, as her mouth was now millimeters away from his.

Tony's eyes flicked to her lips, and he hungrily bit his own bottom lip. He swallowed hard, his breath becoming ragged. "Uh-huh?" he urged hoarsely, his mind whirling with the possibilities of what she might reveal to him.

Pepper smiled, delighted that she was getting under _his_ skin as much as he was getting under _hers. "_ It's clear _I_ can play that game as well as _you_ can," she said, sitting back and exchanging her sexy smirk for a triumphant smile.

Tony's face fell in defeat, as he realized he'd been beaten at his own game. "Oh, you are a... _minx,_ Pepper Potts," he pouted.

Pepper just chuckled at him.

XxXxXxXxXx

Rhodey stared at the screen of his phone, dreading having to dial the number and make the call he never, in a million years, wanted to make. He'd tried both Tony and Pepper several more times before he'd gone to Stark HQ to find out if anyone had heard from them that day. And, to his disappointment, no one had. So, needless to say, his worry, along with everyone else's, had grown exponentially. And it was at that point that he and Obadiah Stane came to the decision that he should be the one to head up the search efforts for his lost friends. "I'll gladly do what I can to help. But Search and Rescue is your department, Colonel," Obi had told him.

Obi had led Rhodey to his office where they could make the call in private, away from speculative employees. Rhodey took a deep breath, and dialed the number for the police department of the town surrounding the resort where the Gala had been held, figuring it was as good a place to start as any. He scrubbed a hand over his face as the phone rang. He then put his phone on speaker, and Obadiah looked on with a grim frown as they waited for someone to pick up.

"Gammon County Sheriff's Department?" a cheerful female voice eventually answered on the other end.

Rhodey frowned. "Sheriff? I thought I dialed the police department," he said.

"Oh, you _did,_ Sir. But when the officers are out, it transfers to us, lucky you. So what can I help ya' with?" she answered pleasantly.

Rhodey just shook his head and shrugged. "I...guess we need to file a missing persons report? _Two_ of them, actually," he replied. He looked at Obi, and Obi nodded in agreement.

"Oh, _that's_ gonna be hard ta' _do,_ I'm afraid," the woman said.

The two men frowned at her statement. "What?! _Why?_ " Rhodey exclaimed.

"Well, because, Sir! The reports have to be filed with our Chief! And, _well_ ," she paused to awkwardly chuckle. "He's one of our two officers out tonight, so..."

"You've only got _two_ officers?!" Rhodey cried.

"Well, in a town of only a few hundred people, there isn't much need for more than..."

"Okay, listen," Rhodey said, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "Just... _take_ the information, and give it to the Chief when he gets back in, alright?"

"You betcha'!" the woman replied happily. "I tell ya' what! With this blizzard coming in, it's got us running from dusk till dawn around here! It's like people forget how'ta drive in this stuff! Accidents all _over_ the place! You know, I was just telling Officer Severenson the other day that we oughta'..."

Rhodey huffed impatiently, and steeled himself against blowing up on the well-meaning lady. "I'm sorry to interrupt, ma'am, but could we just..." he interjected, trying desperately to keep his composure and be polite as he spoke.

"Oh! Right! I'm sorry! You'll have to excuse me! I like to gab! But who can blame me, really? It gets to be pretty boring sitting here all by my lonesome waiting for the phone to ring, I'll tell ya' that!" the woman explained.

 _Hopefully, she's not the 911 dispatcher as well,_ Rhodey thought.

The woman chuckled. " _Now,_ then. Let me _see..."_ she said into the phone.

They could hear rustling of papers in the background.

"Now what the heck happened to those missing persons forms?" she muttered into the phone. "Golly, I guess it's been so long since we've _had_ a missing person here that we just don't..." her voice trailed off for a moment. "Keep them on _hand,_ so..." she muttered. They heard more rustling, and Rhodey let an audible, exasperated sigh escape his lips.

Obi spoke up. "Ma'am?" he asked.

"Hmmm? Yes, sir?" she said, followed by more rustling.

"What's your name, may I ask?" he inquired, trying to sound pleasant.

"Oh! _Genieva_ , Sir. Genieva Montgomery. Yep. Third generation, born and raised, here in good old..."

"Okay, Genieva," Obi said, interrupting her before she could launch into her life story, and eat up more of their time. "My name is Obadiah Stane. I'm the COO of a company called Stark Industries. In Los Angeles? I don't supposed you've heard of us?" he asked.

"Mmmm, no? Can't say as I have?" Genieva replied.

"That's okay," Obi assured her. "At any rate, I'm, uh...I'm joined by Colonel James Rhodes. Of the United States Air Force? He's also our military liaison for the company, and he's the one who'll be communicating with you on the two people we're trying to locate. Mmmkay?" Obi informed her.

"Well, pleased to meetcha', fellas!" Genieva crowed into the phone.

They both smiled at her innocent cordiality, despite their need for urgency. "Likewise, and thank you, Ms. _Genieva_ ," Obi replied. "Now, let me tell you why we're calling. We're trying to find our company's president and his assistant, who were attending a symposium in the neighboring city, and were supposed to be home earlier today but no one has seen or heard from them since the evening before last. They were attending a Gala at the ski resort there, last we'd heard?"

"Oh sure! I know the one!" Genieva replied. "Real fancy affair. Lots of big wigs around, yeah. My brother helps with the security every year. He has since..."

"Genieva?" Rhodey said, interrupting.

"Hmmmm?"

"The reports?" Rhodey replied.

"Oh, right! _Sorry_ ," Genieva said, chuckling. " _Anywho_ , I'm all ready for you fellas, if you want to give me the info? You say you're looking for your company's president and his assistant, is that correct?"

Rhodey looked at Obi in relief that they were finally making progress. And Obi gave him an approving nod. "Yes. By the names of Anthony Stark and Virginia Potts," he replied. He then proceeded to give her the details of Tony's and Pepper's ages and appearances, and their last known communication with anyone before they went missing. Obi patted Rhodey on the back in approval as he spoke, and then motioned that he'd leave him to it. Rhodey nodded in the affirmative and continued his conversation as Obi made his way out of the office, softly closing the door behind him.

He checked to make sure he was alone, then leaned against the door, and let out a sigh. Slowly, a very satisfied, deviant smile spread over his lips. But he only allowed himself this small indulgence for a mere moment before he stifled it once more. He then smoothed a hand over his beard, and straightened the cuffs of his sleeves. He cleared his throat and put on a concerned scowl before walking back into the reception area, where Tony's long-term, and very loyal secretary, Bambi Arboghast was seated at her desk. She immediately stood up upon seeing Obi approach, her eyes filled with deep concern. She stood wringing her hands as he neared.

"Any word, Mr. Stane?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Obi smiled at her sympathetically as we walked over to the woman. He smoothed his hands down her upper arms, as she looked up at him. "Now, Bambi, I know you're fearing the worst," he told her.

She gave him a weak, sheepish grin. "It's hard _not_ to, Sir! It's so unlike Mr. Stark, _or_ Ms. Potts to go this long without..."

"I know, Bambi, believe me. But...just have _faith,"_ Obi said.

"Faith?" she asked, searching his eyes.

Obi moved to wrap an arm around her shoulder. " _That's_ right, my dear. Have _faith._ I have a good feeling it will _all_ work out."


	14. Chapter 14

**A new update before I set off on holiday travels! Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers! And Happy Reading to everyone. I hope you enjoy. :)**

Pepper awoke the next morning alone, covered with the heavy quilt that she and Tony had used to keep warm with the night before. She could still feel his warmth on the couch cushions, so she figured he must not have been gone for long. Still, it puzzled her as to how he managed to escape her presence without waking her up. And she wondered what he'd been in such a hurry to run off to do, as well.

But almost immediately, her question was answered as she heard the loud _whack_ of an ax splitting wood outside. She threw back the quilt, and hurriedly climbed off the couch to go confirm what she was hearing.

Sure enough, when she made it to the front window, she could see Tony swinging an ax over a stump, splitting a large piece of wood he'd placed on it in two, then tossing the two pieces in a small pile off to the side. She smiled to herself at the sight, admiring his skill, but also admiring the physicality of what he was doing. He'd shed his outer shirt, which was now tied around his waist, and had on only the white, thermal-knit undershirt he'd been wearing, which clung to his body, showing off his muscular arms and torso. The lingering heavy cloud cover was still blotting out the sun, and thick white snowflakes drifted down all around him. Many had gently settled on the bit of dark hair poking out from under the navy blue stocking cap he'd pulled down around his head. His breath puffed out in billowy clouds of steam as he worked, and since he was focused on what he was doing, he remained oblivious to her watching him.

Pepper felt her cheeks warm as she blushed, the usual natural reaction she'd always experienced when secretly admiring her boss. She leaned against the window frame, and brought a hand to her mouth to cover her smile.

But Tony suddenly stopped what he was doing. He raised his eyes to where she stood, and then smirked at her knowingly, obviously having suddenly sensed her watching him. Pepper's eyes went wide, and she gasped, startled by having been discovered. Tony chuckled and raised a hand to playfully twiddle his fingers at her in hello. But then he saw her dart away from the window, and disappear. He frowned, thinking he'd embarrassed her, until he saw the front door open and she appeared again. Then a broad grin spread across his lips once more.

"Well, _hellooo_ there," he cooed playfully to her, with a knowing smirk.

Pepper gave him a coy smile back, then looked around at the heavy snow falling all around them before stepping further out onto the covered porch. She tucked her arms into her body for warmth as she was still in just her socked feet, and with no jacket. "I..uh, I heard the ax, so..." she attempted to explain.

"Uh- _huh_ ," Tony said skeptically, still smirking. "Well, while you were sawing logs of your _own_ , I decided I'd better play lumberjack, and chop some more wood, so..." he said, shrugging as he trailed off. He took position once more, lining up another log on the stump, and swinging the ax back around his body and over his head to split it. The log sharply separated with a loud _crack_ , and the two pieces fell to the sides of the stump. Tony leaned the handle of the ax against it, and collected the pieces, tossing them into the existing pile beside him. He then got another log, and lined it up on the stump to repeat the process.

"Need some help?" Pepper offered. But Tony refused, shaking his head.

"Nope. I got it. Plus, you're out here in socks," he said, nodding toward her feet. He waved a dismissive hand at her. "So stay there. And stay _warm._ I'm almost done."

Pepper nodded in compliance, and leaned against one of the porch's support posts, folding her arms into her body again. She had to be honest. She couldn't say she minded being there, watching him work while she kept him company. And that was for a few reasons. In years past, she'd always secretly enjoyed those times when she'd come into the shop, and he'd be laboring away. Call the urge she felt primeval, but it was undeniably arousing watching him physically work. Truthfully, she loved everything about it- the little grunts and groans he made at each peak of exertion, the way he scrunched up his face with the strain, the faint glisten of sweat across his brow. _But the_ _best part?,_ Pepper thought, subsequently feeling her cheeks warm again in embarrassment of what she was admitting to herself, was the way he _smelled._ It was just pure... _Tony._ There really _was_ no other way to describe it.

In truth, a man's smell hadn't necessarily been something she'd noticed much in the past, unless it was something obviously off-putting. And, sure, it was hard not to notice a man's cologne or aftershave. Especially the way some men seemingly doused their whole bodies in it, making it inescapable. But that wasn't the case with Tony. Quite the contrary, she honestly couldn't recall there ever being a man she'd been around who's own chemistry proved to be such an attractant to her, all on it's own. And that had both tantalized _and_ frustrated her the whole time she'd worked for him, as all of those feelings seemed for naught. _We're so d_ _ifferent,_ she thought. But this made her smile in surprise to herself, as those differences were quickly becoming less of a wedge between them, and more of what seemed to make them...she sighed. _Great together,_ she admitted. _It's_ _true. We really ARE great together. It's only being proven more and more all the time._

As if on cue, she suddenly caught a whiff of him still on her from the night before, and the ever-present flutter of butterflies in her stomach threatened to make her blush again.

She quickly cleared her throat, trying to tamp them down. "So, tell me, how did you manage to escape without my detection?" she asked.

Tony paused, and smiled mischievously back. He chuckled. "Pepper, do you _know_ how many sleeping girls I've crawled out from under in my lifetime? I'm like a freakin' _ninja,"_ he bragged. "Or... _Houdini."_

Pepper snorted in disdain, and rolled her eyes. "Sorry I asked," she muttered.

"But a sudden urge to flee the scene was definitely _not_ the case _here,_ I assured you," he quickly said, backtracking. Noticing her lingering dismay, he paused to lay his ax down and walk over to her. When he reached her, he ran his hands down her upper arms, and smiled, his eyes sparkling. Pepper couldn't help but smile back. Especially now, as his familiar scent was directly in her presence, and mixed with the crisp air around them, making those defiant butterflies in her belly kick back up again in frantic fervor.

"It was more because _you_ needed your _rest,_ " he said, before leaning in and planting a gentle kiss on the bruised spot on her forehead. This only made Pepper smile more at the sweet gesture, and completely forget about his previous statement. "So I didn't want to wake you," he finished.

"Well, in _that_ case, then, I owe you a thank you," Pepper replied, hoping he'd mistake the reason for her blushing cheeks as just being nipped from the chill.

"Mmm hmm," Tony said, sliding his arms around her waist and pulling her close to him. Then, he looked at her in curiosity. "Incidentally, are you _always_ that sound of a sleeper? I probably could've brought a marching band through the room, and you _still_ wouldn't have woken up," he teased.

Pepper chuckled, and then shrugged sheepishly. "What can I say? I guess I was just really comfortable," she cooed, with a sweet smile.

Tony smiled at her fondly, his eyes sparkling at the recollection of her falling asleep in his arms the night before. He'd stayed awake for a long while after she'd dozed off, enjoying holding her close in front of the fire while she slept. It was only until he couldn't fight his own drowsiness anymore that he succumbed, thought he now regretted missing a single moment of it.

"So what're you saying? I'm _cuddly?"_ he joked.

Pepper giggled. "I guess that's _one_ way to describe it," she replied.

Tony grinned. "Well, the pleasure was all mine, Ms. Potts. I am happy to oblige _any_ time," he cooed teasingly.

Pepper giggled again before raising her lips to meet his. He kissed her back, running his hands up and down her body before the kiss broke, and they rested their foreheads on one another's, smiling lovingly.

Pepper cupped his reddened cheeks with her hands, and stroked them with her thumbs, feeling the effects of the icy air on his skin. " _Burr,_ " she said. "You need to finish so we can get you back inside, and warmed up."

Tony smiled at her care and concern. "Okay, baby," he murmured, going in for one more peck before breaking away from her embrace, and finishing the last of the few logs he'd pulled from the pile beside the house.

It didn't take long, and together they worked to stack the split logs beside the front door on the porch for quick access. Then Pepper gathered a few to be brought inside, and set them on the hearth. Tony followed her inside, pulling the stocking cap of his head as he went, and ruffling the water droplets out of his hair from the melted snowflakes that had landed in the exposed bit. Then he knocked the snow off his shoes, and removed them, along with his socks, leaving them by the door. He didn't tell her the shoes were still wet from the day before, but when Pepper turned around to face him, she noticed the dark purple, puckered skin on his feet.

" _Tony?!_ " she gasped. "You were out there in _wet_ _shoes?!"_

He scoffed. "Again, Pep. There aren't a lot of choices in footwear. I kinda _had_ to..."

"Well, bring them here!" she demanded, cutting him off and pointing to the fireplace. "Maybe we can dry them."

Tony frowned. "They're Italian leather, Pep. They'll shrink. Best to let them air dry," he urged.

Pepper huffed. " _Fine,"_ she said, relenting. "But if you get pneumonia, or even the _sniffles,_ I'll..."

"Play nurse-maid? Like you _always_ have?" Tony interjected, teasing her. He walked to her, and pulled her into his arms. She reluctantly gave in, giving him a wry smirk. "I mean, c'mon, Pep. You'd make me suffer? _Really?_ You'd make your _hero_ suffer?"

Pepper rolled her eyes. "Oh, _boy._ You're going to use that against me at every opportunity, now, _aren't_ you?" she joked.

Tony just pumped his eyebrows, and chuckled. "Would you expect any less?" he asked.

"From _you?_ No," Pepper retorted. "Your ego wouldn't allow it, I'm afraid."

Tony chuckled again, and leaned in for a kiss. Pepper begrudgingly kissed him back, but cocked an eyebrow at him when it broke, trying to keep a straight face all the while.

He pretended not to notice as he took her hands in his, and brought them to his chest. And then he gave her a curious look. "So does that mean it's too soon to tell you that, after a quick break and a cup of coffee, I intend to put those shoes _back_ on and go _back_ out there to check the inlet for fish?" he asked, jamming a thumb in the direction of the door.

Pepper gasped. "Oh, for Pete's sake!" she cried in exasperation, stocking off toward the kitchen.

Tony chuckled again to himself as he followed behind her.

XxXxXxXx

A while later, Pepper had successfully brewed them both a cup of hot coffee. Tony was forever grateful, as not only did the coffee serve to warm up his insides, but also the mug served to warm his hands as he sat at the table with her. Pepper sat next to him, warming her hands with her own mug, as just her short time outside with him had chilled her as well. "After I come back, I'm hitting the showers," he told her. He ran a hand over the scruff that had started to appear on his cheeks. "And maybe I'll grab a shave, too, if I can scrounge up a razor."

Pepper smirked at him, running the backs of her fingers against his cheek. "You _are_ getting pretty scruffy, there, Stark," she teased. "Of course, given the skills you displayed this morning, maybe the look suits you."

Tony smiled, and giggled at her teasing him. "Yeah, maybe it _does,_ Potts. I don't know. What do you think?" he asked. "Should I let it grow, and become a rugged mountain man?"

Pepper giggled. " _You?_ A _mountain_ man?!" she joked. " _Hardly._ Don't know many mountain men who wear imported leather dress shoes."

"But what you're saying is you _do_ know some? Just so we're _clear,_ " Tony teased back. Pepper giggled, as he continued, shaking his head. "Boy, I don't know about you, Pep. You run with a wild bunch. First it's role play, and spangly unitards. Now, it's lumberjacks," he joked.

"Mountain men, Tony. The term is _mountain men_ ," Pepper quipped.

"Oh, _pardone._ Of _course_. My _mistake_ ," he said, with a smirk. They both laughed, and Pepper rested her head on Tony's shoulder. He, in turn, laid his head on hers, and then reached for her hand, interlacing their fingers.

They fell silent, each left to their own thoughts. Tony raised his head, and placed a gentle kiss on the top of Pepper's head, before laying his own back down where it had been. Pepper smiled to herself at the display of affection.

"You gotta admit. It's... _peaceful_ here," Tony murmured, his voice soft and thoughtful.

Pepper moved to raise her head to look at him. A soft smile spread across her lips. "It _is,_ " she agreed. But then her face fell, and she bit her lips together. Tony frowned as she looked away. He could see her eyes start to tear up.

"Pep?" he murmured, moving to put his arm along the back of her chair. "You okay?"

She waved a hand to dismiss his worry, and gave him a sheepish, yet tearful smile. She leaned in to give him an appreciative kiss, and he kissed her back, but didn't break his look of concern.

She chuckled in embarrassment at suddenly becoming emotional. "I'm _sorry,"_ she said, sniffing and wiping a tear that had escaped and rolled down her cheek. "It's nothing."

Tony frowned in confusion. "It's obviously _not_ nothing. So, talk to me, baby," he urged. "What's got you upset?"

Pepper shrugged. "It's Christmas Eve tonight," she explained.

" _Rig_ _ht?_ " Tony replied questioningly.

"I was supposed to be getting on a plane, today. People are _expecting_ me to be home for the holiday, Tony. My _mother_ is _expecting_ me..." A sob caught in Pepper's chest, and she placed a hand over her heart to calm herself. " _God,_ she'll be worried _sick!"_ she finished.

Tony gave her a look of sympathy and Pepper closed her eyes, as more tears gathered and rolled down her cheeks. "I'm _sorry!"_ she said again, after reopening her eyes to look at him. "But it breaks my heart to think about what will go through her mind when she doesn't hear from me! What about when she tries to call?!" she cried. The last shred of Pepper's composure disintegrated at that moment, and her shoulders began to shake as she started to sob.

"Hey, hey, hey. Come here," Tony urged, as he pulled her to him, wrapping her tightly in a hug as she cried on his shoulder. He tried to soothe her by rubbing her back, but he also went silent, to give her a minute to cry it out. He knew she and her mother were close, and this was a very legitimate thing for her to be upset about. He could relate to how she felt, in that, if his _own_ mother were still alive, they'd probably have a very similar relationship. Tony had been the apple of Maria Stark's eye, and everyone around them knew it. Including his father, which made Tony often wonder if perhaps his dad's attitude towards him was caused in part because of some kind of jealousy towards this. _I guess I'll never really know,_ he thought glumly. _But it would be just like him if it did._

Pepper pulled back, and swiped at a few more tears. "And it's not like this just dawned on me! I mean, good _grief!_ I figured we'd still be here by this point, but...that doesn't mean it doesn't _bother_ me, you know?" she asked.

"I _do,"_ Tony offered. He grasped her hand in both of his, and patted it sympathetically. "But listen to me. It'll be okay, Pep. We'll get out of here, and get help, and you'll get to see your mother _soon_ ," he assured her.

She gave him a weak smile. " I know. And thank you," she said.

He smiled and nodded in reply. He'd tried to sound sincere, and thankfully, she was none the wiser. And it wasn't that he was being disingenuous. He _did_ want her to be able to see her mother soon. But secretly, he'd found himself wishing they didn't have to leave at the soonest available opportunity. He was starting to really enjoy being in this place with her. He likened it to what it would maybe feel like to make a home with her. And, much to his surprise and delight, the idea _thrilled_ him.

But that wasn't what was important at the moment. What _was_ was lifting Pepper's spirits. _Well, I know what would lift MINE if the roles were reversed,_ he thought to himself in jest. But quickly dismissed the idea, as he knew it would only garner him a slap from her if he even remotely suggested what he was truly thinking. So he opted to keep _that_ to himself, and thought, instead, of what he could do for her.

Then it occurred to him, and he instantly brightened.

"Hey, Pep? Tell you what," he said. "Why don't _you_ go take a nice, hot bath, huh? Get all relaxed. Get your mind off of everything. And while you're doing _that,_ _I'm_ going to go to the river," he offered.

She chewed her lip as she considered his suggestion, and then nodded. "I... _guess_ I could do that," she said. But then her eyes widened in alarm. "But what about the mountain lion?" she asked.

Tony shook his head. "Don't worry," he assured her. "I'll take the shot gun along. It'll be fine."

She gave him a troubled look, hut then relented. "Hmmm, well...be _careful,"_ she emphatically warned. "I _mean_ it. Don't let yourself get caught by surprise _."_

Tony smiled. "I won't. I'll be careful, I promise," he said.

"You _better,"_ she purred softly.

Tony then stood up, and offered her his hand. Pepper took it and stood up as well. "Now, _you. Scoot._ Off to the bathroom you go, and I'll be back in two shakes. Me _and_ my soaking wet shoes," he teased.

Pepper scoffed and rolled her eyes. But then she smiled, and shrugged. "All the more reason to come back quickly," she said.

"That's _right,"_ Tony agreed.

She nodded, and then took a deep breath. "Alright, then. I'm off," she said resolutely, and turned to leave.

Tony watched her walk down the hall, and disappear into the bathroom. Then he clasped his hands, and rubbed them together eagerly. "Okay. Let Operation _Christmas Spirit_ commence," he murmured happily, with a giddy grin.


	15. Chapter 15

**_Hello, my lovelies! :D_**

 ** _Loving the feedback, and loving that you're following along! It means the world!_**

 ** _This chapter's a bit smutty, fair warning, (oh, DARN, right? lol) but I've added a bit of a suspenseful twist as well! But don't worry! It's pleasure before business, so enjoy! *wink* :D_**

 ** _Happy Reading!_**

Pepper undressed as the deep, cast iron, clawfoot tub in the bathroom began to fill. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror, and winced at the bruise on her forehead. She leaned in to examine it, noticing the edges were yellowing. "Worse before it gets better," she murmured. She grimaced in dismay at its increasingly unattractive appearance before she turned her attention back to the filling bathtub. She checked the temperature once more with her hand, and smiled, anxious to slip into the water and soak for a while. Then she reached for a bottle of bubble bath she'd found under the sink and poured a generous amount under the tap, watching eagerly as bubbles instantly formed. She replaced the cap and put the bottle back in the cabinet. Then she finished getting undressed, folding her clothes neatly, and laying them on a stool that sat beside the tub.

Soon, the water was at an acceptable level for her to enter. So she shut off the tap, then gingerly stepped over the side, and lowered herself in. An instant smile of relief spread over her lips, and she exhaled heavily, mentally thanking Tony for suggesting she do this. But the smile stayed across her lips as thoughts of him lingered and she settled into the steaming, sudsy water, draping her long hair over the end of the tub and leaning against its tall back. " _Mmmmm,"_ she hummed softly to herself, closing her eyes. She was stilled amazed at how attentive he'd been, never dreaming he'd ever possessed the ability to be concerned for anyone else's needs but his own. Not in _this_ capacity, anyway. Sure, he'd displayed compassion in little glimpses in the past, but it was usually done in response to some kind of personal guilt for his bad behavior and a subsequent feeling of obligation to right whatever wrong he'd committed in order to save some face.

But in _this_ case, there wasn't a perceptible angle. He'd made it clear he wasn't doing it to charm her into bed, or even for her to confess her feelings for him in return for him confessing his. On the contrary, he was being very patient with her, _and_ her reservations. So, if there _was_ some kind of ulterior motive on his part, her guess as to what it _was_ was as good as anyone's. _Am I just being overly cautious?,_ she thought to herself. She couldn't deny how wonderful it had been with him since they'd got there. He'd been a perfect gentleman, completely sweet and concerned for her well-being at every turn. _From that standpoint,_ she reasoned, _what was there not to love?_ _And t_ _here's that word again,_ Pepper thought. _Love._

 _Still_ , this _was_ Tony she was talking about. Impetuous, oblivious, defiant, and, _most of the time_ , maddeningly selfish _Tony_. And a few magical days alone with him wasn't going to undo _any_ of the past. So who could blame her hesitation? Besides, the last time she allowed herself to be in a committed relationship proved to be a major mistake, and left her with a lot of emotional scars. Frankly, she was in _no_ shape to endure that kind of pain again, let _alone_ risking losing her heart to someone like Tony Stark.

But, at the same time, she couldn't deny her true feelings. _And they MUST be true. Otherwise, why would I have stuck around for this long?,_ she told herself, chewing her lip in thought. _Same old dilemma, different day._

Those said feelings started off as what she simply chalked up to being those of a crush. No one would argue Tony's charm or exotic good looks, so she dismissed the butterflies she felt as just being part of the spell he seemed to be so effortlessly able to put everyone under. But the problem _was_ those butterflies never _left_ , even as time went on. In _fact,_ they had only become _stronger_. Even after seeing him at his worst so many times, she still cared for him. _Deeply_. So, to combat her urges, she learned to up her guard, and to rebut his flirty advances like a pro. As he volleyed them, she batted them away. And back and forth it had gone, for years. That was the game they played. That _is,_ until _now_.

Being in this place, alone with him, and away from any of the world's distractions had brought all of those feelings and urges right to the glaring forefront. And she was becoming less and less able to resist them, especially since he'd displayed such caring and compassion toward her, and had been so open about his own feelings. She just couldn't help it. Plus, being in his arms felt _spectacular._ She felt safe there. Protected. _And l_ _ast night was probably the best sleep I've had in ages,_ she realized. Not to mention the way his kiss made her _feel_. Like sparks could shoot out of her toes, and from out of the top of her head at any moment. It took her breath away. Each and _every_ time. _Nobody's ever made me feel quite like that before,_ she admitted.

It wasn't a secret that women had always had a certain perception of him, thinking he was just overtly sexually aggressive. But the truth _was,_ he was actually quite sensual in his methods. He knew when to be direct, yes, but that was just his way of being playful. _Like with the_ _smack on the behind, for instance,_ Pepper thought, smiling. It had surprised her, but it had also racheted up her desire in a split second as a result- the exact response she was sure Tony had been going for. And if he hadn't have been paying attention, and been in tune with her responses to what they were doing, it would have been very inappropriate. But that seemingly spontaneous decision was actually a well calculated risk on his part, she realized, as it had only made her want him _more,_ even though her mind had screamed at her to slow the moment down to protect herself. But, the more she thought about that decision to stop what they were doing at the time, the more she found she _regretted_ it.

 _What if I HAD let the situation progress?,_ she asked herself. Her body prickled with intensified arousal at the thought, as she decided to let her mind drift into the fantasy...

 _She could feel his hands gripping her behind as their tongues would dance in and out of each other's mouths. Their kiss, just like before, would become voracious, and fevered, like they'd devour each other if given the chance. He'd bite her bottom lip playfully, and flick his tongue into her mouth as they'd continue to make out, and Pepper would moan and grind her hips against his in response. She found herself in his lap, straddling his hips as she had been previously, with him sitting in the chair at the table. His hands would begin to move up and down her body. He'd move his lips from her mouth to her neck, cupping it in his hand to bring her closer. She'd oblige, leaning farther into him, and closing her eyes, feeling his tongue flick against her throat where he'd place soft, wet kisses on her skin._

 _"Oh, Tony!" she'd moan breathlessly, her insides igniting._

 _"Oh, Pepper!" he'd moan back, his voice muffled as he worked. He'd nuzzle her neck, in the space just below her ear, and then raise up to nibble her earlobe before whispering in her ear. "Do you want me?" he'd ask._

 _"Mmmmm, yes. Yes, I want you," Pepper would moan in reply._

 _"Then let me make love to you, baby," he'd urge, in a low, gravelly murmur. Her favorite, as it was the same tone he'd used on many occasions before that had always turned her insides to jelly. He'd pull back to look at her, his eyes dark and dancing with obvious arousal._

 _Pepper's chest would heave breathlessly, as she'd gaze back at him, searching her heart for any lingering reason for hesitation. Not finding a single one, she'd slowly begin to nod. "Yes," she'd agree, all sense of caution immediately melting away as soon as she'd uttered the word._

 _Tony would growl in approval, and crash their lips back together, hungrily kissing her mouth for a moment before she'd feel him shift underneath her, and suddenly stand up with her in his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist, and him bracing her behind with one arm, so that her upper body was slightly higher than his, giving his lips direct access to her throat, on which he'd begin to leave even more playful, little nibbly kisses. Pepper would giggle, both in ticklishness and delight, and Tony would chuckle back, loving what it was doing to her._

 _They'd make it to the living room, and her eyes would be closed, enjoying his efforts, but she would pop them open when she felt Tony shift his weight again, bending down to his knees and a depositing her gently onto her back on the rug on the floor in front of the fireplace. He'd then position himself between her legs, leaning his weight onto one arm to be able to prop himself up over the top of her. He'd give her a smoldering smirk. Then she'd giggle, and bite her lip coyly in anticipation._

"Wait," Pepper murmured out loud, opening her eyes and frowning. _Our first time would be_ _on the hard_ _floor?!,_ she thought, with a grimace. Then her lips curled with a sly smirk when she quickly devised a solution. "What the hell. It's _my_ fantasy," she cooed, shrugging. She closed her eyes, and floated back into her imaginary world.

 _They'd pile together the bedding from the bedrooms and the quilt from the couch onto the floor, deciding they'd be_ _MUCH more comfortable there than in one of those cold rooms._ _Then,_ _they'd eagerly peel each other's clothes off, but not without continuing to make out all the while, before Tony would lower her onto the blankets, careful to ensure her comfort before they began._

"Foreplay. Can't forget foreplay. _Surely_ , he'd remember _that,"_ Pepper whispered knowingly.

 _She imagined his fingers expertly working her center, bringing her to a brisk, head-spinning climax in no time, leaving her breathless and light-headed, and making_ _her gain a whole new appreciation for the strength and dexterity of his hands._ _Next would come the use of his mouth, covering every inch of her body, tantalizing her senses once more, practically making her beg for him to taste her. And just when she'd think she couldn't take anymore, he'd engulf her sex with his lips and tongue, devouring every inch of her, making her instantly writhe with searing desire as she pleaded for him not to stop. She imagined he'd continue until she was completely spent, drawing every ounce of ecstasy from her she could muster. But he wouldn't stop there. No way. Because NEXT would be the main event, where she could only imagine that all of the rumors she'd heard about him as a lover would be called into reckoning. The stories about his stamina, his endurance, not to mention his...anatomy...would suddenly be there for her to witness in living color._

 _Their bare skin would glisten in the fire light as their bodies would move in tandem, Tony thrusting inside of her, completely filling her up again and again, his motions commanding and deliberate, building the orgasmic tension in her body once more with each pass. They'd grunt and groan with animal-like lust, moaning and murmuring to each other lurid phrases meant to tease each other's desire as they made love. She imagined his hands running up and down her body- gently squeezing her breasts, and toying with her nipples, then running down her spine to cup her behind._

 _Maybe I'd get another little smack on the rear, for good measure? Hmmmm,Tony?,_ she thought, with a, teasing, deviant smirk. By this time, Pepper's body was positively tingling with arousal, leaving her to realize she'd brought herself to a very precarious state. And if she didn't do something to... _alleviate the situation_...before ending her soak in the tub, she'd run the risk of not being able to contain herself the next time she and Tony were face to face. "And that won't _do,_ " she resolved. "We _have_ to take this slow. Even if it's becoming _difficult."_

Pepper exhaled, her cheeks blushing, as she leaned back against the back of the tub again. It was embarrassing, if she was being honest, that she found herself in this old, familiar place. It had been quite a while since she'd found the need to give herself _some_ _relief_ as a result of fantasizing about her boss, and she admonished herself for letting it get so out of hand. She had become secretly proud of herself for being so adept at heading her arousal off at the pass when needed, before her thoughts of she and Tony together caused her imagination to run away with her. But, all of that aside, this wasn't going to end well if she forced herself to linger in this present state of sexual limbo. So with that, she surrendered, closed her eyes, and took her mind back to the thoughts of them completely, and _passionately_ , intertwined. Once the image was brought vividly back to life, she slid her hand down her body to begin.

But it was at that moment when she heard the sound...

 _Pop!_

 _Pop!_

Her blood instantly froze, and her eyes suddenly flew open in alarm. "Oh my _God_! _Gunshot!"_ she gasped. She clamored to raise herself up out of the tub, and reach for a bath towel. Snagging one from the rack, she hurriedly wrapped it around her body, and bolted for the bathroom door. She yanked it open, and ran down the hallway, scrambling to get to the front door. Fumbling with the handle in her panic, but finally jerking it open, her wide eyes scanned the distance for any sign that her worst suspicions wouldn't somehow be confirmed- that their nightmarish adversary, the mountain lion, had returned, and Tony was forced to fight for his life.

"Please, God! _No!_ _Please_ let him be okay!" she begged the heavens breathlessly, as hot tears welled in her eyes, and threatened to spill down her cheeks. But eons seemed to pass, and _still,_ there was no sign of him.


	16. Chapter 16

**_Ooooo! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! (Both in this world and in reality! First major snowfall for the year happening as I write today! I LOVE it when art imitates life, don't you? LOL!) :D_**

 ** _Anyway! This one's really getting to be fun. And I'm working hard to try to get it done around Christmas, too! So thanks for the support! It keeps those creative fires burning! :D :D_**

 ** _Happy Reading!_**

Once Pepper had disappeared behind the closed bathroom door, Tony had slipped back on his shoes and socks, grabbed the shotgun, and trekked back outside. On his way past, he also grabbed the ax from the stump and made his way toward the trees along the river.

Over night, several inches of fresh snow had completely covered his footprints from the day before, so he was forced to forge a new path. Not a thrilling proposition, as the wet snow quickly chilled his feet (even more than they already _were,_ ) his ankles, calves, and his pant legs up to his knees. But the _good_ news was, there were no new tracks indicating the mountain lion had been prowling around anywhere close by. _Still,_ he knew he needed to keep his head on a swivel, and be prepared for any surprise attacks.

But that wasn't the only reason why he was looking all around him as he walked. He was also in search of something. He was on a mission, making his first priority finding he and Pepper a Christmas tree. Sure, they wouldn't have much for ornaments, but it was all in the name of cheering her up, and giving her the best Christmas he could, given the circumstances.

But so far, on his path, he hadn't seen what he would call the ideal tree. So he veered off the obvious route to the river to walk farther back into the trees, and farther away from the water, to continue his search. His breath billowed out in clouds of steam as he marched along, having to step high in and out of the drifts. It was a workout, to say the least, and the sound of his quickened breathing and heartbeat thundered in his ears. But he noticed this was really all he _could_ hear, as the stillness of the heavy snow falling all around him created an auditory damper. Despite his heightened sense of awareness for any sign of the big cat, he found his surroundings to be very tranquil. _Big difference between here and the sounds of the city,_ he thought, not being able to remember the last time he'd been in a place as still as this. In short, it was a very welcome change of pace.

Soon, he came to a group of smaller trees in and among the tall Blue Spruce trees that made up the dense forest around the cabin and throughout the canyon. They were quite picturesque, as the snowfall had blanketed their tops and ends of their branches. Their needles were short, thick, and bluish-green in color, giving the trees their name, and their boughs were full and quite long on the bottom, but tapered in length to the top, giving them a perfect cone shape. He even spied some not-yet-sprung-open baby pine cones tucked into some of the branches on several of the trees, giving them added woodsy character. And they smelled _heavenly._ Tony ran his hand down the length of one of the branches, the sturdy, prickly needles springing back into place as his closed fingers brushed over them. He smiled. "Perfect," he purred, delighted to have found what he was looking for.

"Okay, my pretty maids, all in a row," he said jovially, standing back to survey his choices. " _W_ _hich one_ of you gets to go home with me?" He knew the ceiling in the living room of the cabin was around 9 feet tall, so that ruled out the tallest of the bunch, which stood at least 12 feet high. But he also didn't want to choose one that would reach clear to the ceiling. It would be too heavy. And given he knew they'd only have the kindling bucket, at best, to put the trunk into for the stand, stability would be an issue.

Then he spied it. "Ahhh," he said, moving to the one that had caught his eye. It stood around 6 feet tall, with space on the bottom to cut it down without marring any of the branches that made up its shape. He circled the tree once to check for uniformity, and then smiled with deep satisfaction. "Oh, Pepper's gonna _love_ you," he cooed giddily to the tree. Then, quickly, he propped the shotgun up against a neighboring tree, gripped his ax in both hands, and began to chop it down at the base, the sound reverberating loudly throughout the forest.

XxXxXxXxXx

It didn't take long before Tony felled the tree, and was well on his way again, shotgun slung over the crook of his arm with the breach open, and carrying the ax in that hand, while dragging the tree behind him with the other. He walked back in the direction of the cabin with the intention of dropping it nearby, so he could continue on to the river. And once he came back out into the open, and spied the cabin, he did exactly that, walking only about another one hundred yards before plopping the tree down on the ground, along with the ax, and turning toward the inlet.

As he walked, he soon heard the soft trickling sound of the water, and took a deep breath, anxiously hoping to find fish in the makeshift trap he'd set up the day before. He got to the waters edge, and bent down to one knee as he strained to see through the icy water. It looked as if all of the creamed corn that he'd used for bait had disappeared. But, much to his disappointment, no fish were caught in the trap.

Tony huffed. " _Damn_ ," he grumbled, now wondering what they were going to do for food that day. But something else worried him as well. _If there aren't any fish here, where did the corn go?,_ he thought, though it didn't take long to deduce _exactly_ what had most likely happened to it. The current wasn't swift enough to have carried it away that fast, and even it if _was,_ there would have been a few kernels of evidence left behind. "Double _damn,_ " he muttered, his temper flaring at how much of a nuisance this mountain lion was turning out to be.

Just then, he heard some rustling in the dried reeds a few yards away. Tony scrambled to his feet, his eyes widening as his heart leaped into his throat, thinking the worst. He quickly cocked both hammers on the gun and raised it to his shoulder, before he put his cheek to the stock and stared down the barrel, ready for whatever appeared. The animal making the racket suddenly emerged, and Tony's eyes narrowed. "Oh, buddy! You picked the _wrong_ day to show up _here_!" he said, before he pulled the first trigger and then the second.

XxXxXxXxXx

Pepper's chest heaved. She brought a shaky hand to her mouth, trying to steady herself. Then she marched a few steps from the door way out on the porch, the cold instantly biting all of her exposed, damp skin. But she hardly noticed. She tightly gripped the towel she'd wrapped around herself, desperate to see something, _anything_ that would indicate Tony was safe. "Tony!" she finally cried out. But it was no use. The sound of her voice was instantly muffled in the heavy snow, as if she hadn't spoken at all. So she assumed he couldn't have heard her calling him, and wouldn't know to respond even if he _was_ safe. Her heart pounded even harder at the horrifying thoughts now rushing her into mind, and she knew she was left with only one choice- throw he clothes on, and go look for him, even if it meant she'd meet the same fate.

But just as she was turning to go back into the house, she saw movement in the distance, and she gasped, realizing what it was she was seeing. It was Tony, marching through the snow, with some kind of creature dangling by its neck in one hand, and carrying the shotgun in the other. He spied her, and grinned, stopping to hold up his trophy-a dead, Canadian goose- for her to see, thinking she'd be just as proud of it as he was.

However, he did _not_ get the kind of response he expected from her. Instead, Pepper collapsed in the doorway, her shoulders shaking as she totally lost her composure, and began to sob uncontrollably.

"Pepper?" he said, frowning in confusion. But suddenly, his heart jumped, and he began to panic. "Oh, God, what happened?!" he said to himself. He dropped the goose and the gun where he stood, and took off running to her. "Pepper?!" he cried out, before falling to his knees in front of her once her reached the doorway. "What's _wrong,_ baby? What happened?!" he begged, quickly surveying her for any kind of obvious trauma, and then looking at her intently, his eyes wide.

"I...h-heard the...gunshot, and...and..." she choked out, and Tony instantly understood what had occurred.

He rolled his eyes in regret that he'd frightened her so badly, and pulled her into his arms. "Hey, hey, come here," he said, holding her close, and she obliged by wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. He rubbed her back, trying to soothe her, as she wept softly on his shoulder. "I'm sorry! _God,_ I didn't even...I mean it didn't even _occur_ to me that you might think..." he stammered. He stopped talking and turned his head to softly kiss her temple before he continued. "It's okay, Pep. I'm okay. Alright?" he said, before pulling back to look at her.

"You _are?"_ she murmured. Her face was tear-stained, and her eyes were reddened as she gazed into his.

He cupped her cheek, wiping away a tear with the pad of his thumb, and giving her a soft smile, secretly touched she was so concerned about him. He nodded. "Yeah, honey. I _am,_ " he assured her.

She glanced down at his clothes. A few dark red blotches dotted his shirt and pants. "But...there's _blood!"_ she gasped, looked at him in alarm.

Tony looked down to see what she'd spotted, and he smiled sheepishly at her. "Oh, that?" he asked. "That's from the _goose,_ " he explained.

"Oh!" Pepper said, exhaling in relief, and smiling. She glanced past his shoulder, and then back at him. "So...no mountain lion?" she asked cautiously. "You didn't see him?"

Tony shook his head. "Not even a footprint," he said. "Coast was clear."

Pepper sighed heavily, and put a hand to her chest. "Thank _God,"_ she replied. "So? Did you find any fish?" she asked hopefully.

"Uh..." Tony said, debating whether or not to tell her his theory as to why there weren't any. But he quickly decided against it, not wanting to upset her further. " _No,_ unfortunately," he said simply. "Not _this_ time."

"Oh," Pepper said, her voice a little disappointed. "So, thank goodness for the goose, then!" she said, optimistically, her eyes brightening.

Tony chuckled. "And you say I can't be a mountain man," he joked, making Pepper giggle. He smiled, happy to see she'd calmed down.

"I stand corrected," she joked back. "You've saved the day, Daniel Boone." They laughed together, and then she reached up to softly peck his lips. She patted his chest, giving him a loving smile. "I'm just glad you're alright," she said. "That scared the _bejesus_ out of me! I thought for sure something had happened to you!"

"Well, besides having solid blocks of ice for feet, I'm _perfect,"_ he teased.

Pepper scoffed. "Oh, _Tony!_ You and those damned dress shoes!" she scolded. "Get those off this minute!"

Tony pursed his lips, and shook his head defiantly. "No can do, Pep," he told her. "I've gotta go back for the gun, the goose, _a_ _nnnnnnd_ , while you were soaking in the tub, I got a little surprise for you," he purred with a smirk, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"A _surprise? Besides_ the goose? What _else_ could you possibly have for me? _"_ Pepper asked, looking at him curiously.

"Ah, ah, ah! That's for _me_ to know, and for _you_ to find out. _Now,_ " he said, grasping one of her hands in both of his and bringing it to his chest. Pepper tried to hide a giddy smile. He continued. "As _much_ as I am _loving_ this _ensemble_ you are currently sporting..." he told her, keenly eyeing the towel she wore that barely covered her body.

"I bet you _are,"_ Pepper interjected, under her breath, giving him a wry smirk.

Tony chuckled, and went on. "I need an excuse to get you out of the room for a few minutes. Sooooo, _you,_ my dear, are under strict orders to go get dressed while _I,_ your trusty mountain man, do his due diligence and liven up our humble abode. Fair?" he asked, with a cocked eyebrow, smirking.

Pepper chuckled, and then reached up again to kiss him. "Fair _enough,_ " she said. "Who could argue with _that?"_

Tony chuckled back. "Somehow, I _thought_ you'd see it my way," he teased.

" _Yes,_ but only if you promise _me_ something, in return," Pepper wagered.

Tony gasped, and then moaned. "Oooo, sounds... _delightful._ Anything, baby. You _name_ it," he cooed suggestively.

Pepper smirked coyly at him, before she spoke. "In _addition_ to this 'surprise' you've eluded to..." she cooed.

"Uh- _huuuuhhh,"_ Tony cooed back playfully, gazing intently into her eyes.

" _I_ want _you_ to..." she purred, her voice smokey and seductive.

" _Tell_ me, baby. Anything you want. I'm _yours,"_ he urged, his voice husky, and wanting.

"Get those stupid shoes off and warm your feet up the _minute_ you are done," she finished flatly. Tony exhaled exasperatedly and rolled his eyes, but Pepper ignored him. "The _last_ thing you need is to come down with pneumonia, or something else God _awful_."

He frowned in disappointment. "Are you _serious_ with this?" he asked. "Getting my hopes up that way..." he grumbled.

"Ah! _Promise_ me," she said, interrupting.

" .. it's just _cruel._ Here I thought it would be something _sexy,_ like..."

" _Promise. Me_ ," she restated.

"But, that wasn't _my_ idea of what you'd be asking me to..."

" _To-ny?_ " Pepper replied sternly, pointing at him in warning. He pouted at her even more, but fell silent in response.

" _No_ arguing. Or there will be no _..._ " Pepper searched for the words. "Whatever-it-was-you-thought-I-was-going-to-make-you-promise-me until you _do_ as I _say_. _Capiche_ , Stark?"

Tony's eyes widened in delighted realization. " _Reee-ally?_ " he purred. "Just for being a good boy, and doing what I'm told, you're telling me we... _might_ have a little _naughty...freaky..._ roll in the..."

"Well, I don't _know?_ " Pepper purred back, looking at him with wanton eyes. "That would fall into that 'it's for _me_ to know and for _you_ to find out' category, now, _wouldn't_ it?" she teased, trying to sound innocent, and batting her eyelashes at him.

Tony gulped. "Nu-huh," he mumbled hoarsely, his eyes wide as he searched her face for any falsehood.

But Pepper just bit her lips together, trying not to laugh at his expression, and smiled coyly instead. "Good. Then we've reached an agreement. _Tit_ for _tat,_ as they say," she said, her voice laden with innuendo as she rose off the floor to stand up. Tony slowly followed her, clearly still gobsmacked by the implications of her toying with him. She pecked his lips again playfully, and he weakly kissed her back. "Good _bye,_ Tony," she purred, as she turned to go, purposefully leaving him there, helplessly watching her barely covered hips swing away from where he was standing, as she smiled deviantly to herself. But she sensed he hadn't budged, so she turned back around to find him basically catatonic.

"Tony?" she asked, trying to keep from laughing. "Um, you can _go_ now? Didn't you say you needed me to..."

Suddenly, he awakened out of his reverie, and looked at her in surprise. "Huh?!" he said. "Oh. Right. The...yeah, I gotta... sorry, I was just thinking about..." he stammered, awkwardly clearing his throat as he fumbled toward the front door, and trying desperately to play it cool. "Right. I'll, uh...I'll be right back," he assured her, before walking out the door again.

Pepper chuckled to herself, and turned to walk down the hallway. She swore she heard him muttering something as he closed the door behind him about her _'tit for tat'_ comment, which only made her giggle more.


	17. Chapter 17

**Happy Friday! And Happy Reading! :D And many thanks to the lovelies who've left me reviews! They make my day! :D**

A few minutes later, Tony swung open the front door. He looked around to make sure there was no sign of Pepper, and then proceeded to enter, dragging the tree he'd cut down behind him. It swished loudly on the wood floor, and that made him wince, knowing Pepper could probably easily hear it.

When it had cleared the doorway, he dropped it where it lied, and dashed to the fireplace to grab the kindling bucket. Dumping the sparse contents remaining in it out onto the hearth, he quickly took it to the corner of the living room, setting it beside the front windows. Then he walked to the cut end of the tree, and heaved it over to the bucket, setting it across the top carefully so as not to tip the bucket over. Then he moved to the top of the tree, and quickly tipped it upright, so the bottom would plunk down into the bucket, and he could right the tree into position. Much to his satisfaction, the bottom few branches sank handily inside, and the tree fit snugly.

Tony stepped back to admire his work. " _Nice,_ " he murmured, with a very pleased smile. Then he swiveled around and turned his attention to retrieving the gun, and the goose.

XxXxXxXxXx

Pepper could hear a lot of rustling around in the living room, as she washed her hair under the faucet of the bathtub. She was unable to help a curious, giddy smile from spreading across her lips. Her blues from the morning were quickly dissipating, even just from having Tony near her that morning. She couldn't deny- wherever he went, he brought a certain infectious energy with him. Really, it was what she loved most about him- the boyish sense of adventure he'd always had. Granted, at times, that made her the mother hen, having to talk him out of doing something that she knew had no way of ending well. But on the whole, she could honestly say that she had never been bored in his presence. And in _this_ situation, in _these_ circumstances, she was quite grateful for that.

She felt the familiar flutter of excitement and attraction to him in her stomach, and she smiled fondly. She could hardly wait to see what he had planned for them.

She finished washing her hair, and reached for another towel to wrap it in. Then she glanced at the clothes on the stool that she'd been wearing and grimaced. _It would be nice to have fresh clothes to change in to,_ she thought. These were the ones Tony had found for her the night of the accident, so she wasn't sure there would even _be_ any other clothes anywhere. But she decided to try to look. Hopefully, without Tony detecting her leaving the bathroom.

She wrapped her bath towel back around her body, and carefully opened the bathroom door. She poked her head out to listen for his whereabouts. Just then, she saw him dash to the fireplace, and grab the kindling bucket from the hearth, before she quickly ducked her head back inside. She waited for a moment, hoping he hadn't seen her. When it was clear he hadn't, she reopened the door, and snuck out into the hall, quickly making her way into the bedroom just across the way.

Softly, she closed the door behind her. Instantly, the air from the closed room chilled her skin, and she shivered. "Whew. Chilly in here," she huffed, rushing to the dresser by the bed. She began opening the drawers and rifling through the contents. In the first drawer, she found a couple of pairs of flannel pajama bottoms, both men's medium in size. She also came across a couple of old t-shirts- one with the name of a local softball league on it, and another one with the picture of two palm trees on an island with the word _Hawaii_ scrolled over the top of them. But so far, nothing different to wear for an outer shirt, or more wool socks. She'd hoped to find more of those for both herself, _and_ Tony. "His poor feet," she murmured to herself, with a frown.

Still, she was happy she'd be able to give each of them a change of clothes, and these would do nicely. They would even be coordinated- one being red and gold plaid, and the other being green and gold plaid. Pepper giggled. "How Christmas-y," she remarked, with a smirk.

She gathered up all of her findings, and opened the bedroom door again. All of the rustling she'd heard before seemed to have ceased, and she didn't detect Tony's movement in the house, either. Suddenly, curiosity rose up in her mind again, and she momentarily considered walking down the hall to secretly have a peek at what he'd been doing. But she decided against it, not wanting to spoil the surprise, and bustled back across to the bathroom once more to get dressed.

Once she'd finished, she poked her head out of the door, and listened once more for Tony. But she didn't hear him. So she decided to call out. "Tony?" she said.

" _Yes,_ Ms. Potts?" he teased in a very formal tone.

She chuckled. She heard him walk from the kitchen, and he soon appeared down the hall. He grinned. "You rang?" he said.

She smiled. "I was wondering if I'm allowed to come out? Can I be freed from the bathroom, now?" she joked.

"I just finished, so, yes. You are officially _sprung_ ," he joked back. He surveyed her new attire. "New duds? Nice," he said, with an approving smirk. "Feel better?"

" _Much._ And I found _you_ some, too," she said, smiling.

He grinned at her consideration. He put his hands on her hips, and leaned in to softly kiss her lips. "Thank you, baby," he murmured. "So, _shall_ we?" he cooed, stepping to her side to ceremoniously offer her his arm.

Pepper giggled, and accepted it. "We _shall,_ " she cooed back, and they began their promenade into the living room. "I just thought I should ask first. With all of the rustling around out here, I didn't want to..." But she immediately stopped talking as soon as they entered the living room, as her breath was taken away by what she saw in front of her. In the corner, stood an honest-to-goodness Christmas tree. Sure, it was bare, with the bottom branches stuffed into their kindling bucket, and sticking precariously up and out in all directions. But it didn't matter. The fact that Tony had thought enough to put it there touched her deeply, and tears flooded her eyes at the sweet gesture.

He watched her get emotional over what he'd done, and he smiled in adoration at the sight. He stepped behind her, and wrapped his arms around her middle, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Merry Christmas, Pep," he said softly.

Pepper nodded. "Yes. Merry Christmas, Tony," she replied back. She slowly turned around, and wrapped her arms around his neck, planting her lips firmly on his, and kissing him deeply. Tony wrapped her in his arms tightly, and returned the kiss.

They went on for several moments. And when the kiss wound down, and finally broke, they both inhaled deeply, and grinned lovingly at each other. To Tony's surprise, Pepper still had tears in her eyes, and he moved to wipe a stray one from her cheek with the pad of his thumb. "I take it you like what I've done, here?" he joked, with a knowing smirk.

Pepper giggled, and nodded. "Oh very _much_ so, _yes,"_ she replied. She turned to look at the tree over her shoulder, but Tony kept her in his arms, planting a tender kiss to her temple. She then turned back to look at him, with pure love in her eyes. "It's _wonderful,"_ she said softly. Her eyes danced over his face, and her grin spread even more. "And _you're_ pretty wonderful for doing it," she finished.

Tony beamed. Then he nodded in the affirmative. "I'll _take_ it," he replied. He grasped one of her hands in his, and delicately kissed her wrist, the two of them keeping their eyes trained on each other. He then brought the hand he held to his chest, and patted it lovingly. "I know it isn't _much,_ but I wanna give you the best Christmas I _can,_ Pep. You _deserve_ it."

Pepper spluttered sheepishly, as fresh tears filled her eyes. "Tony Stark, you're going to make me cry again!" she joked. They both chuckled.

"Come 'ere, baby," he said, pulling her into a hug. He kissed the side of her head, and rubbed circles on her back. "Don't cry, okay? Just enjoy. After all of those years you brought a little Christmas cheer to me when _I_ was feeling down? This is the _least_ I could do."

Pepper hugged him tightly around the neck, and then pulled back to look at him.

"Well, thank you," she said. "It means a lot. _Really,_ it does."

Tony grinned and nodded. "You're _most_ welcome, Ms. Potts," he said, with a smirk and cocked eyebrow. She giggled.

Tony took a deep breath, and blew it out sharply in reluctance. " _Now,"_ he said, turning around to lead her to the kitchen. "We've got a job ahead of us, I'm afraid," he said.

Pepper furrowed her brow. "A job?" she asked, but then she gasped, followed by letting out a shocked yelp at what she'd seen. Her eyes went wide, and she nervously glanced back and forth between what was splayed out on the kitchen table, and Tony.

He gave her an impish grin. "Like I said," he replied, shrugging.

Pepper broke away from him to cautiously circle the dead bird he'd brought in, her eyes filled with trepidation. "What are you... _expecting_ me to do with this thing? _Exactly?"_ she asked.

Tony frowned and chewed his lip in thought. "Yeah, I...kinda didn't fully think that part _through_ when I shot it," he admitted. But then he brightened, and pointed a finger at her in epiphany. "But you _did_ grow up on a farm, though, right?"

Pepper nodded. "Well, _yes,_ but that doesn't mean..."

"Sooooo, don't they... _do_ this..." Tony began rotating a hand around in the air. " _Kind_ of stuff on a farm?"

Pepper gave him a wry look. "Do _what_ kind of stuff, Tony?" she asked.

"Well, you _know?_ " he asked. "Whatever it _is_ that you... _do_ to birds when they're...they're..."

" _What?_ Lying dead on your kitchen table?" Pepper asked.

Tony spluttered and stammered nervously. "Well... _yeeeah,_ Pep. I mean..." he said. He gesturing toward the bird. "We know you don't eat the feathers. And you don't eat the...the..." he stopped to search for the words. " _Innards,_ " he finally managed to say. "So, that means all _you'll_ have to do is..."

"All _I'll_ have to do? Oh, no. No,no, _no,"_ Pepper warned. "If you _think_ , for one _second,_ that _I'm_ going to be the one to..."

"We'll do it _together,_ " Tony quickly offered. "How bad can it be? After all, the _Colonel_ does it all the time. _Right?"_

Pepper frowned in confusion."I doubt _Rhodey_ does..."

Tony frowned. "I'm not talking about _Rhodey,"_ he corrected. " _San-ders._ The _Colonel?_ Get it? _"_

Pepper wasn't amused. She just scowled at him in silence.

Tony sidled up to her, and put his arm around her shoulder, rubbing it in assurance. "Come _on,_ honey," he cooed. "Don't you wanna play mountain man with me?" he cooed in a syrupy sweet tone, and batting his eyes at her.

Pepper just cocked her eyebrow at him. "Hey, that's _your_ fantasy. Not _mine_ ," she said. She looked at the lifeless goose in front of them, and cocked her head in thought. "But in the name of survival, I guess there _is_ only one thing left to do," she relented.

Tony beamed. "Ah, _there's_ my frontier woman!" he crowed jokingly. He _then_ began belting out a raucous rendition of _Home on the Range,_ and rocking them both from side to side.

Pepper just cringed, then tried not to chuckle at his antics. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "God, if the stuffy socialites of Beverly Hills could see me, _now,"_ she muttered to herself.

XxXxXxXxXx

They'd collectively realized that, since they knew they'd be roasting the whole bird, the whole thing would undoubtedly need to be plucked. So they got to work, despite them both being a bit squeamish, and began plucking the feathers together. It was tedious work, as once the big, heavy feathers were gone, the little downy feathers underneath, especially on the breast leading down to the legs and tail, were small, and hard to grasp. They also flew everywhere once they were freed, and each of them both stopped periodically to pick from each other the tiny pieces of fluff that had randomly settled on their hair and clothing.

"So, you've _never_ done this before?" Tony inquired. "I thought for _sure,_ being a farmer's daughter and all..."

Pepper attempted to itch her nose with the back of her hand, as her palms and fingers were covered with down. Then she shook her head. "Not poultry," she replied. "We _did_ have chickens, but mostly for eggs. Only once in a while, when a hen would stop producing, would Daddy butcher it. And it was my mother who always prepped it for cooking. But _I_ never did it, personally. I couldn't take it. My stomach was too weak."

"Really? _Huh,_ " Tony pondered. "Soooooo, how's your stomach right _now?"_ he asked.

"Borderline," Pepper replied flatly, with a grimace.

Tony chuckled. "Then you're _really_ gonna love what comes _next,"_ he teased, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

Pepper winced. "Eww! Don't remind me," she grumbled.

When they finished, Pepper swept up and bagged the feathers that had been strewn everywhere in the process. Now, a very naked goose lay before them, and her eyes scanned over it skeptically. She and Tony then traded glances.

"Okay, so..." he began. "I think we can deduce we don't need the head. _Or_ the feet."

"And you're telling _me_ this because?" Pepper replied.

"Because...we..."

"No."

" _I?"_ Tony corrected, raising his eyebrows.

" _Better,_ " Pepper affirmed, with an approving smile.

" _I'm_ going to... _remove_ the..." Tony stammered, gesturing widely in the direction of the bird.

Pepper patted him on the back jovially. " _Yes._ You _are,"_ she replied, with a wide, sardonic grin. "So get to it, _m_ _ountain man,"_ she chided. "Meanwhile, _I'll_ find something we can roast it in."

She left his side to go searching for the proper implements, and Tony gulped, looking at the goose with trepidation. He stepped closer to it, and picked up the head between his fingers, the eyes closed, and the tongue hanging out of the mouth. He frowned. "Hey, what if we both..." he started to call out to her, over his shoulder.

"No," Pepper interjected, cutting him off as she rummaged through the cupboards.

"But we could..."

"No."

"Listen to me. If we only..."

"Nope! _Tony?_ You brought this thing _home._ Now, _you_ need to deal with it," Pepper commanded sternly. "I'll cook it. But I'm certainly _not..."_

 _"_ Please?" Tony begged, giving her sad puppy dog eyes. "Pepper?"

She stopped what she was doing to look over her shoulder at him. "No. I said _no,_ Tony," she responded firmly.

"Please? Come _on._ It'll be _fun,"_ he prodded.

"Oh, I _highly_ _doubt_ that," she replied. They both held each other's gazes for several seconds in silence. Tony raised his eyebrows expectantly.

She let out an exasperated sigh. "You're not going to let this go _,_ are you?" she asked, walking back over to him with her arms crossed. He pulled her to him from around the waist, and lowered his head to nuzzle her neck, laying delicate kisses all along her jawline.

"No. Tony, no. You...don't get to..." Pepper tried to resist, but her eyes fluttered, and she secretly found it hard to keep her resolve. "This won't work. You can't just play this card every time you want me to do something," she argued. But judging by the way her voice became more and more breathy as she spoke, Tony doubted that _she_ even believed her words.

"Can't _I?_ Funny. Didn't get _that_ memo," he muttered, his words muffled against her skin. He brought his head back up, and looked at her with a smirk. Her cheeks were flushed, and Pepper averted her eyes bashfully.

She puffed her bangs upward in exasperation. "You're hopeless, you know that?" she countered, bringing her gaze back to his.

"And you're _helpless,_ " he replied smugly. "Can't resist me. Even _I_ know _that."_

Pepper glanced back and forth between him and goose, and then huffed, defeated. " _Fine_ ," she said. "I'll make you a deal. Get rid of the head, and the feet. Then, I'll help with..." she paused to find the words that wouldn't gross her out just by saying them. "The _rest,_ " she finished.

Tony beamed. "Okay. Deal, Potts. I'll be right back," he said, grabbing the goose around the neck, and heading for the door.

Pepper frowned. "Where are you going with that?" she asked.

Tony looked at her and shrugged, as he slipped his wet shoes back on. "To do what you asked, Pep," he said. "I've got an ax outside that's good and sharp. Can _you_ think of a _better_ way to..."

Pepper grimaced and waved a hand at him in dismissal. "No. Okay. Go on. Sorry I asked, " she said hurriedly.

Tony chuckled. "You see the things I do for you?" he asked with a teasing smirk.

Pepper just rolled her eyes, and smirked at him.

He grinned triumphantly, and then winked playfully at her before turning the door handle. "Okay! I'm off. Goodbye, my love! I shall dispatch with the head and feet hence forth!" he bellowed ceremoniously. "Luuuuuve you!" he called out, as he walked out the door, then closing it behind him.

Pepper chuckled to herself, as her cheeks blushed in response to his affection. "Love you, _too,"_ she whispered to herself, before she bit her lips together coyly, her heart swelling at actually hearing the admission of her feelings for him out loud. Even if she _was_ the only one in the room.


	18. Chapter 18

_**FINALLY got a minute to work on this one after all the crazy holiday chaos! And this update's kind of funny (I thought), and a little smutty (oh, DARN, right?)**_

 _ **Hope you enjoy it! As always, if you're so inclined, please review! I love the feedback! :D You guys are great!**_

Tony was outside with the goose, as Pepper continued to rummage through the kitchen cabinets, looking for something suitable she could use as a roaster. Soon, she'd happened upon an amber-colored, oval-shaped, glass casserole dish. "Bingo," she murmured, pulling it from the cabinet and surveying her find. It was a good size, and she smiled in satisfaction, thinking the goose would fit just perfect inside it.

It appeared the dish had been in the cabinet for quiet a while, as a thin layer of dust covered it. So she put it in the sink, and squirted a few drops of dish soap inside it, then filled it with hot water to give it a quick wash. She'd just finished, and was drying the dish when Tony returned with a headless, and foot-less, goose. She gave him a warm smile as he walked into the kitchen.

He was palming the breast of the goose with one hand, and gripping between the wings on the back with the other hand, holding it perpendicular to the ground, so as not to drip anything on the floor. He then hurriedly plopped it into the sink, and then smiled triumphantly at Pepper. " _There_ you go, Pep. One beheaded, and...be _-footed?_ goose," he proclaimed jovially.

But Pepper eyed it, frowning. Gingerly, she picked up the bird and looked into the opened end where the head once was. Almost immediately, she dropped it again, and groused at him. "Oh, _To-ny!"_ she whined. She huffed, and stomped her foot in disdain. "Yuck! I _told_ you I didn't want to..."

He held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, all _I_ was told to do was get rid of the head and the feet, as I _recall_ _,_ " he argued. " _You_ said you'd help with the rest, so _that's_ what _this_ is. The _rest,"_ he said, pointing at the headless, naked bird in the sink, and trying to keep a straight face while looking at her expression of complete disgust.

"Yeah, well. When I said I'd _help,_ I _thought_ that meant you would'n't leave me with much to do besides rinse the damn thing _out,_ " she explained.

But Tony couldn't hold his resolve, and started giggling at her. Which only made Pepper glower at him more.

She jabbed him in the chest, and he flinched, as she tried to maintain her pout, though his giggling was making her crack a smile. "It isn't funny," she retorted. "So stop laughing. You're work is _not_ done, by the way. We're doing the rest _together._ "

Tony chuckled again, but held up a hand to show her he was honestly trying to stop. He nodded in agreement. "Okay, Potts. Fair enough. You're right. We're doing this together. Got it," he said. He looked around the kitchen for a moment. "A knife. We'll need a knife. Ah," he said, spotting a filet knife in the butcher block. He quickly went to grab it, and then resume his position by her side. "Okay, doc?" he teased. "Where do we make the first incision?"

Pepper smiled, and shook her head at him teasing her. " _Again._ _Why_ do you assume _I_ would know what to do?" she asked.

"Yeah, I know you said you didn't do this much, but _still._ You've got the whole _growing up on a farm_ advantage here, so I'm letting _you_ lead the way," he reminded her. "Which, _on_ that note, I find you being a farmer's daughter _ridiculously_ sexy. But that's a whole other discussion."

Pepper looked at him curiously. "What? _Why?_ What's the big deal?" she asked.

Tony cocked an eyebrow at her. "Oh, come _on,"_ he replied. "Picturing you in short little denim cutoffs? Wearing a flannel shirt, tied at the waist? Your hair in _pigtails?_ My _God,_ woman, the _pigtails,_ " he moaned, rolling his eyes dramatically.

Pepper spluttered, and staring giggling. Tony laughed at her laughing at him, his eyes sparkling at the sight.

"Never in a million _years_ would I have guessed you'd be into _that,"_ she teased back.

Tony pumped his eyebrows suggestively in response. "Oh _yeah,"_ he purred. "And granted the whole 'farm girl' persona _is_ sexy in it's own right. But _you_ in that role? _Yowza."_

She shook her head. " _Now_ who's into kinky role play," she muttered. "But, I have to tell you, I've _never_ owned a pair of cut offs, _nor_ have I ever worn a flannel shirt tied at the waist. _And_ I'm pretty sure pigtails went out with my 10th birthday, so..."

"Hey, can't a guy dream?" Tony replied with a shrug, smirking. He continued. "But, _oh,_ the things we'd do to each other in the hayloft, _"_ he rumbled, clucking his tongue, and looking at her sidelong.

Pepper giggled again, and then turned to run her hands up his chest, giving him a seductive look. Tony looked into her eyes, his arousal growing, as he ran his hands around her waist in return. She smiled coyly. "Now, _that_ I _can_ picture _,"_ she cooed softly.

Tony's eyebrows shot up. " _Really?_ " he asked, his voice a low, soft rumble. "You wouldn't happen to have had _past_ _experience_ in said hayloft, now, would you, Ms. Potts?" he teased.

Pepper gave him a sly smile. " _Maybe_ I _do_ _,"_ she teased back.

Tony gasped, giving her a shocked smile. "You dirty girl! What. Did you sneak into the barn to make out with your high school boyfriend, or something?" he asked.

Pepper blushed, and quickly averted her eyes. Tony's eyes went wide, and he let out a dramatic gasp. "That's _it, isn't_ it?! A literal roll in the hay, huh?" he hooted.

She giggled, and shrugged. "Well, I'm not one to kiss and tell," she replied, with a smirk. "But let's just say there were a lot of memories made in that barn."

"Alright, fine. Play it coy," Tony joked. "But you at least gotta answer me _this._ Exactly _what_ do _you_ picture _us_ doing in that beloved hayloft? _Just_ to compare fantasies, of course," he said, trying to keep his cool, and not to give away how much she was actually turning him on.

Pepper kept smiling, now running her hands around to the back of his head. She began playfully fiddling with his hair, which she could see he thoroughly enjoyed by the quiet, breathy moan that escaped his lips. " _Well,_ " she said, leaning in to kiss his lips softly before brushing the tips of their noses together. "All I know is we could be there for _hours,_ if we wanted to. And _never_ get bored," she purred.

"Oh, I'd _want_ to," Tony challenged.

Pepper smiled. "So would _I,"_ she replied.

Tony whimpered at her admission, and then firmly kissed her lips. Pepper let herself melt into his arms as they began to eagerly make out. Tony's hands ran down her body, and around to her back side. He firmly grabbed it, and squeezed, simultaneously yanking her further into his embrace. An aroused moan left Pepper's lips, and Tony broke the kiss to nod in agreement. "Yeah, baby, I want you," he said. " _God,_ I want you."

"I want you, too," Pepper replied, before their lips reconnected, and they continued their feverish pace. Then Tony cupped her cheek with his hand, as his lips moved down her neck, and Pepper moaning. She closed her eyes, and tilted her head, giving him more access. His lips made their way up to her ear, and flicked her earlobe with his tongue before playfully nibbling it. Pepper's skin erupted in goosebumps, and she moaned softly again.

"I have a confession to make," he murmured breathlessly, temporarily halting what they were doing. He rested his forehead on her temple, and Pepper closed her eyes, the vibration of his voice against her skin sending sparks to her center. She bit her lip, and gave him a soft nod, her chest heaving.

"All I could think about while I was outside was _you._ Your _body. Naked_. In the bathtub. Your skin all warm, and _wet,_ and..,"

Pepper whimpered this time, and she opened her eyes, which were dark with fiery desire. She gave him a smoldering look. "Then I have a confession to make, _too,"_ she murmured back.

Tony licked his lips hungrily, and then smirked. Then he nodded to her in encouragement. "Tell me, baby. What's your secret?" he urged.

Pepper's cheeks blushed, and she smiled coyly. "While I was in the bathtub? _Naked?_ And _so very_ _wet?"_ she teased.

Tony swallowed hard, and then let out a breathy, "Mmmmm hmmm?", and Pepper smiled.

She continued. "I...was thinking about _you_ , _too,"_ she cooed.

Tony's breath hitched, and his chest began to heave. "You _were_ _?"_ he ask eagerly.

Pepper nodded. "Mmmm hmmm," she said. "And...when I _just_ couldn't take it anymore? I decided there was only _one_ way I'd be able to...get any _relief,"_ she said, her words breathless and steamy.

Tony's eyes went wide, and he let out a shuttering "Huh!", followed by another hard swallow. " _Jesus, Mary, and all the saints!_ " he rattled off, in a hoarse whisper. "So you...you..." he stammered.

"Well, I... _started_ to, but," Pepper began, trying to sound innocent. But she paused to let out a heavy sigh of disappointment. "I got interrupted when I heard the gunshots, so...by _that_ time, the moment was..."

" _Over,"_ Tony finished with a grumble. He sighed heavily. "Me and my impeccable timing, huh?" he joked reluctantly.

Pepper gave him puppy dog eyes, and a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry the story wasn't more exciting," she said. "But I thought you'd like to know, given we were trading fantasies."

Tony smiled mischievously. "Who said it wasn't exciting? The idea that you just thinking about me made you want to play with yourself? Are you _kidding_ me?" he asked, matter of fact, but smirking as he watched Pepper's cheeks blush in response to his words. "I know _one_ thing. _I_ am going to have a hard time concentrating on anything _else_ now. Unless..."

Pepper looked at him curiously. "Unless?" she urged.

"We... _"_ he began, clearing his throat before continuing. He shrugged. "Decide to bring to fruition what you were fantasizing about?" he offered simply.

Pepper chuckled. Then she leaned farther in, and gave him a smoldering look. "Well, I wouldn't say it's _not_ an option," she murmured.

Tony's eyes went wide, and a giddy, hopeful grin spread across his lips.

"But _first,_ we need to take care of business, I'd say. Wouldn't you?" she asked, gesturing to the goose still in the sink.

Tony exhaled sharply. "Of _course._ Business before pleasure, Potts," he said, trying to regain his resolve. But his resumed strength was clearly a facade, as Pepper heard him mumble, " _So, soooo much pleasure_ ," under his breath. She just chuckled in return.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

They'd figured out how to get to to where they could properly clean the _inside_ of the bird. And Tony, to be a good sport, agreed to handle the initial cleaning while Pepper maintained a safe distance, her face permanently set in a grimace as he worked.

"Oh my _God,_ it _smells!"_ she squeaked from the corner of the kitchen, putting a hand under her nose, and turning her head away when Tony cut it open.

"Yeeahhh, it _does,_ " Tony reluctantly agreed, turning his own head as he worked to avoid it. But once he got the inner cavity mostly cleaned, and the undesirable parts bagged and disposed of, he beckoned for her to join him. "Okay. Come here, Potts. It's time for you to step in," he said. "I believe this is the working _together_ part of which you spoke?" he teased.

Pepper gave him an unamused look, and slowly stepped to his side. Tony moved to stand behind her, threading his arms through hers, around her waist, with the intention of helping her. She gave him a reluctant wince, and he gave her an encouraging nod as he guided her hand up through the tail end of the bird, toward the chest cavity. "Okay, here we go, baby. Together," he told her.

"Huh!" Pepper squeaked as they were both nearly elbow deep in bird carcass.

"There. Okay. Feel _that?"_ he asked, guiding her hand to something still warm and very sponge-y.

"Feel _what?_ It's _all_ so..."

" _That._ Right _there. That's_ what we gotta get outta there," he said, pressing her hand into the area he was talking about. "You see what I'm..."

"Yes! Oh _G_ _od,_ this is _disgusting!"_ she chirped in response, squeezing her eyes closed, and pursing her lips hard. Tony snuck an amused look at her out of the corner of his eye, and tried to stifle a chuckle.

"You're doing fine. Just use your...fingers to...scrape the," he instructed, moving her hand in his inside the bird.

"What _is_ that stuff, anyway?" she asked, her voice strained, her eyes still firmly shut and her lips still firmly pursed.

"Uh... _lung?_ Or what's left of them?" he answered.

"Eww!" Pepper squealed, jerking her hand away, but unable to free it from the bird. "Why did you tell me that?!"

"Well, you _asked,_ so..."

"I didn't really want to _know!_ Don't answer me when I ask these kinds of things! It was rhetorical!"

" _There,_ " Tony said, interrupting her, and letting go of her hand. He straightened up, and looked proudly at his girlfriend. "You did it. We're good!" he told her, grinning.

Pepper popped one eye open, and peered at him, and then the other, while slowly removing her hand from inside the bird. "We... _are?"_ she asked hopefully. "And I _did?"_

 _"_ Yeah. You did _great,"_ he said, with a proud smile. He kissed her temple, and chuckled when Pepper gave him a sheepish smile.

"That's _it?_ We're _done?"_ she asked.

Tony shrugged. "It needs a little rinsing out, but...yeah," he said. "I think we've successfully butchered a goose, baby. How's it feel?" he teased.

Pepper looked down at the bird, and then back at her boyfriend. "Honestly?" she said with an impish grin. She looked down at her hand, covered in bird lung matter, and grimaced again. "Like I never wanna do it again," she said flatly.

Tony just chuckled at her. "Well, next time we need a Christmas goose, we'll order it pre-butchered. Sound good?" he joked.

Pepper just rolled her eyes, and shook her head, smiling as she cranked open the tap to rinse the bird and her hands.


	19. Chapter 19

Pepper successfully got the bird washed, seasoned, and into the oven within just a few minutes. After which, Tony had decided to shower. "If it wasn't for the fact that you've already taken a bath, I'd ask you to join me," he remarked.

"Who says _that_ would stop me?" Pepper teased, which made him stop in his tracks, and look at her with wide eyes. She just giggled. "Go. Go on. Take your shower," she said, waving a hand at him in dismissal.

"Don't _do_ that to me, Potts," he warned. "For a second, I thought you were serious."

Pepper just looked at him, and smirked. "I _know,"_ she replied, with a coy shrug of her shoulder. "But we're not quite _there, yet_. So I was only kidding."

"But give it _time?_ " Tony offered, with a smirk of his own, his eyes twinkling with anticipation.

Pepper chuckled. "Well, we'll just have to _see_ , now, _won't_ we?" she cooed.

Tony kept his smirk, but worked his jaw as his imagination sprang to life with images of he and Pepper making the most of a steamy shower together. He nodded and grinned. "I'll take it," he said, swiveling around on his heels and marching back toward the bathroom resolutely, making Pepper giggle at how little it took from her to get him excited.

"Have a good time!" she called out teasingly.

"Oh, I _will!"_ he called back, and Pepper's giggle spluttered into laughter.

XxXxXxXx

Behind the closed bathroom door, Tony turned on the hot water in the shower, and proceeded to get undressed. The smile hadn't left his face, and when he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror, it only made him smile more.

"What're _you_ grinning at?" he taunted. "She's only the _best_ thing that could've happened to you, that's all." He waggled a finger at his mirror image in warning. "Just don't fuck this up. _Be careful,_ alright? I'm just saying." He chuckled to himself, but slowly Tony's grin started to fade, and it was replaced by a concerned frown. He turned away from the mirror and leaned against the counter, folding his arms.

"Yeah, who am I kidding? I've _already_ fucked this up," he muttered. He lowered his head, his thoughts clouding his mind like storm clouds blotting out the sun. "I should've kept it friendly. I should never have kissed her," he mumbled. _Sooner or later, she's gonna realize what's REALLY happened here, and there I'll be- looking like the same old asshole everyone knows I am,_ he thought.

He huffed, and scrubbed a hand over his face, and through his hair. " _Damn_ it, Stark," he scolded. "You _knew_ better. And you did it _anyway."_

Just then, he heard a voice on the other side of the door. "Tony?" he heard Pepper call out.

He bolted upright. "Uh... _y-yeah?"_ he called back, wincing at how startled his voice sounded.

"I don't know if you saw them, but I left those clothes I found for you on the stool? And I was able to find us some more wool socks. So, I'll just leave them outside the door, alright?"

"Yeah. Great. Thanks, Pep," he said.

A brief moment passed, and he heard Pepper's voice again.

"Are... _you_ okay?" she asked. "You sound... _strange."_

 _"_ Fine! Never better!" Tony called back. "I'll uh...see you in a minute, huh?"

"Okay. Sounds good," Pepper replied. He heard her walk back down the hall, and he exhaled in relief.

"Too close," he muttered to himself, before yanking back the shower curtain and climbing into the hot water.

XxXxXxXxXx

When Tony had gone into the bathroom, Pepper had gone on a quest. She'd wondered if the dresser in the other bedroom had any more heavy socks, and she figured she should quickly look so if she _did_ happen to find some, they'd be waiting for him once he came back out.

She walked into the second bedroom, and found it was just as chilly as the other had been before. She wondered if she should leave the door open to try to warm it, or if that would only serve to cool the rest of the house down even further. "And it's not as if we'll be using this room," she thought, though this admission _did_ put a smile on her face as her romantic fantasy of she and Tony making love on a pile of blankets in front of the fireplace flooded her mind again.

She sighed, unable to stop smiling. "What oh _what_ have I gotten myself into?" she murmured, simultaneously not feeling an _ounce_ of regret for doing it. In _fact,_ a flicker of excitement rushed through her, and it made her giggle at what she could only anticipate was ahead for them. Not only in the very near future, as she was quickly getting used to the idea of them becoming intimate during their time here, but also for what was in store for them once they were back home. He'd continued to surprise her at every turn just since this morning, let _alone_ in the last few days, being _far_ more doting than she'd _ever_ dreamed he could be, and she was rapidly becoming convinced that he was completely capable of being in a relationship. _Who knew that_ _I'd be the one to bring that out in him?,_ she thought fondly. In the way he was behaving, the way he showed so much care and concern, it was hard to argue that it wasn't genuine. If his only intention was to get her into bed, she couldn't imagine that he'd put forward the kind of effort he had. He most likely would've become uninterested by this point, instead, and they would've have had to ride out the rest of their time in awkward silence until the blizzard lifted, and they could focus on getting out of there.

"At least it _seems_ that way," she murmured. She closed her eyes. _Don't be the fool,_ the small voice in her mind warned. _Don't assume you know what his intentions are. What_ _IF this IS just a giant scheme to sleep with you?_

Pepper exhaled. "There's that guard, again," she whispered in defeat. She chewed her lip in thought, and then came to a resolution. "That's _it_. We need to talk. I have to know, once and for _all,_ " she said. She'd managed to rummage through the top two drawers in the dresser during this time, and had come up empty. She opened the third, and instantly her thoughts were distracted by what she found- rolls and rolls of heavy woolen socks. "Oh, _terrific!"_ she gasped, grinning. "Now his poor feet don't have to freeze anymore!" She grabbed a couple of pairs, and closed the drawer. Then sat on the edge of the bed to slip one on, grabbed the second she'd retrieved, and hurriedly left the room.

As she reached the bathroom door, she could hear Tony speaking softly on the other side. And though most of his words were very muffled, she was still able to make out a few. "I should've kept it friendly. I should never have kissed her...you did it anyway."

Pepper gasped, and brought a hand to her mouth. _So it's true!,_ she thought. She squeezed her eyes shut, and gripped the socks in her hand, trying desperately to hold her composure, so as not to give herself away, and called out, "Tony?"

She heard movement. "Uh... _y-yeah?"_ he answered back, sounding as if she'd surprised him.

She frowned, but quickly explained her reason for bothering him. To which he curtly answered, "Yeah. Great. Thanks, Pep."

Pepper scowled. _Don't overreact, don't overreact, don't overreact,_ she pleaded with her sub-conscious. "Uh...are _you_ okay? You sound... _strange,"_ she heard herself say, instantly wincing at having said anything at all.

"Fine! Never better! See you in a minute, huh?" she heard him reply.

Pepper's countenance deflated. She nodded. "Ok. Sounds good," she said simply. She dropped the socks she'd found by the door, and walked away.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted," she muttered sadly, as hot tears formed in her eyes. "Some Christmas _this_ turned out to be _."_

 _XxXxXxXxXxXx_

Tony soon emerged from the bathroom, freshly showered. However, his face was still stubbly, as he hadn't had any luck in finding a fresh razor. None the less, the change of clothes Pepper had found made him feel like a million bucks. And when he opened the bathroom door, he smiled even more when he found the socks she'd left him, his heart warming at her care and concern. He leaned against the door jamb to put them on, and then made his way down the hall into the living room.

Pepper was standing in front of the fireplace, her arms folded, and staring into the flames. She looked completely immersed in thought, and didn't seem to notice him. So he walked up behind her, and slipped his arms around her waist, nuzzling her neck.

" _There_ you are," he cooed, planting a tender kiss to her temple. "Did you miss _me_ as much as I missed _you_?" he asked.

Pepper quickly pulled out of his arms. " _Did_ you?" she asked him defensively.

"Did I _what?"_ Tony asked, confused.

Pepper huffed. " _Miss_ me, _Tony_ ," she repeated sternly.

"Yeah, of _course_ I..."

"Because I heard what you said! I didn't mean to, but I did! You said that you should've just kept things friendly between us, and that you regretted kissing me," she accused.

"What? Pepper, _no,_ I..." Tony began, stepping in her direction. But she raised her hands in defense.

" _Don't,"_ she said. She shook her head. "Don't come any closer if what you're about to say is just going to be a _lie."_

 _"Baby,"_ Tony replied. But realized she probably wouldn't appreciate the pet-name at this moment. " _Pepper,"_ he began again. He took another step closer, and Pepper took another defensive step back. He frowned. "I... _don't_ regret kissing you," he said.

" _But?_ " she said.

Tony exhaled sharply. "But _nothing,_ Pep. I just...I...okay. First, could you _please_ just relax? I feel like I'm about to get mauled or something," he said. "Can we just... _talk?_ _Please?"_

Pepper frowned in though. _Well, that WAS initially what I wanted us to do,_ she reasoned. So she relaxed her defensive stance, and nodded. "Yes," she said simply.

Tony sighed. "Great," he said. He gestured for her to join him on the sofa, and she obliged. They took their seats, and turned toward each other. Each assumed they'd speak first, so they both began at the same time.

"First of all, I've _never..."_

 _"_ So what _did_ you mean, then, if you don't regret.."

They abruptly stopped, and looked awkwardly at one another. "Sorry," Tony said sheepishly.

"It's fine, it's...go ahead," Pepper said, waving a hand at him.

He nodded, and cleared his throat. He adjusted his position on the couch, and began again. "As I was saying, I've _never_ regretted _anything_ we've done up to this point. The only thing that would make _any_ of this better was if we were here by _choice,_ not by _force. Wouldn't_ you agree?" he asked.

Pepper shrugged. "I'm not so sure right now, but go on," she said glumly.

Tony nodded. "Fair enough," he said. He took the opportunity to move closer to her, and leaned further into her space. He looked deeply into her eyes. "But let me be _clear,_ Pep."

She frowned at him, studying his face for any indication of what might come next.

"I never said I _deserve_ the chance to be with you," he said, his voice heavy with sincere intention. He reached for one of her hands, and Pepper watched as he did this, allowing him to grasp it. He clasped his other hand over the top hers, and gave it a gently squeeze. They both raised their eyes back up to each others. Tony continued. "Baby, I meant every _word_ I've said to you. Every _kiss,_ every... _everything,_ " he explained. "But I _also_ know who I _am._ And..."

Pepper's breath hitched, her brain screaming at her that he was about to reveal her worst suspicions. Her eyes went wide, and her chest began to heave. She abruptly jerked her hand away from his, and stood up to face him. "No! Don't say another _word!_ You don't have to tell _me_ what's coming!" she warned.

Tony frowned in confusion at her. "What's _coming?_ What do you mean? I was just going to..."

Pepper nodded emphatically. "Tell me that all you _really_ wanted was a quick lay, but this is getting too complicated, and you've had a change of heart, so you're _dumping_ me before we go any further because you...you..."

Tony raised his eyebrows. And stayed silent, waiting for her to finish.

Pepper looked at him in her panic, and then furrowed her brow. "You're not defending yourself. Why aren't you talking right now? Am I _right?_ Is _that_ what you _really_..." Her voice trailed off, and they continued staring at each other.

Then Tony feigned surprise. "Oh! Are you _done?_ Is it _my_ turn to talk again?" he asked sarcastically.

"Well, I wish you would say... _something,"_ she retorted, her tone haughty.

"Okay, then! Here's _something!_ " Tony jabbed, his eyes fiery as he stood up to face her. " _I_. _D_ _on't. D_ _eserve. You."_

Pepper recanted, and leaned back to look at him squarely. " _Tony_ , I..." she began, but he interrupted.

He threw his hands up. "I _don't!"_ he cried. "I probably _never_ will. _Why?_ Because I'm a _fuck up._ A _menace._ To _myself._ And to _everyone_ around me. And you wanna know what _else_?"

Pepper didn't reply. She just watched him continue his self-deprecating rant. But he continued, by-passing her chance to respond.

"I said those things because the _last_ person you need in your life is _me,_ Pep," Tony said, jabbing a finger at his chest. "You could do _so_ much better. You _deserve_ _so_ much better. I'm just the lucky sucker who, for whatever reason, you've chosen to give some of your affection to. And _believe_ me, I am _eternally_ grateful. But _honey?_ I'm _sure_ I'm not worth it."

Pepper softened, and her eyes filled with regret for having jumped to conclusions. Tony continued.

"But am I _sorry_ for kissing those gorgeous lips? For even getting _one_ chance to feel the weight of your body against mine last night, sleeping so peacefully, that I was amazed _anyone_ could _ever_ be that comfortable in my arms? _No,_ Pepper. Absolutely _not._ I just hope that someday you don't regret _letting_ me."

She didn't reply. Instead, she flew from where she stood, and crashed their lips together. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and shoulders, and she felt him wrap his arms around her middle, pulling her snugly into his embrace. They kissed hungrily, moaning with relief and need all at the same time. Pepper's hips began to buck against his, and she curled her leg around his thigh, suddenly overcome by the unrelenting urge to feel Tony's hands on her body. So she quickly broke the kiss, and yanked the t-shirt she was wearing off over her head, sending it flying off to the side.

Tony involuntarily whimpered as he watched her do this. His eyes eagerly scanned her body, and he swallowed hard, but then shot her a precautionary look. "You're sure?" he asked softly.

Pepper smiled. She nodded. " _Yes,"_ she answered breathlessly. "Because _I_ think you deserve it. And that's _all_ that matters."

 ** _Whew! WELL, then! Pepper's always been a girl who knows what she wants, amirite? ;) Loving the feedback, btw! You're awesome!_**

 ** _On to the next!_**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hello, dears! Who's ready for some fluffy, holiday smut? ;) (Do I even need to ask?)**

 **Loving all the love by the way! A big thank you to my wonderful reviewers!**

 **Happy Reading...**

They crashed their lips back together hungrily, their desire wildly igniting.

"Pep-Pepper," Tony tried to say, in between impassioned kisses.

Finally, Pepper broke off, breathless. "What?" she said, searching his face. "What is it?"

Tony couldn't help but smile at how into the moment she was with him. He cupped her cheek, and momentarily glanced down to her plumped lips before bringing his gaze back up to her eyes in adoration. "Just so you know, even _now,_ we don't have to rush into this," he assured her.

Pepper leaned back, and gave him a look of disbelief. "Are _you_ honestly telling _me_ to...that you want to..." she stammered. She huffed, trying to catch her breath. "Slow _down?"_ she finished finally.

Tony just chuckled and smiled. "Well, I _do_ have my reasons," he replied.

"Oh, _do tell,"_ Pepper quipped.

Tony reached for both of her hands, and brought them to his chest. "Well, my dear _Dorothy._ We'll get to the Emerald City soon enough. I _promise_ you that," he joked.

" _Dorothy?_ Why are you calling me... _wait,"_ she said, in sudden realization. She smirked. "Okay, how long have you been waiting to use _that_ one on me?" she teased.

Tony smirked, and shrugged nonchalantly. "Pretty much since I found out you're from Kansas, if I'm being honest," he answered, matter of fact.

"Ah," Pepper said, nodding in understanding, trying not to give him the satisfaction of her finding his corny joke funny, but unable to help the amused glint in her eye.

"Yeah, and on that note? You don't know just how close I came to calling you Dorothy back in the day, instead of Pepper," he teased.

"Oh? Well, I'm not sure I would've allowed it," Pepper answered back. "You _barely_ got away with _Pepper,_ and it was only because I got tired of trying to convince you otherwise."

"Oh, I'm _fully_ convinced I could've worn you down on Dorothy, too. And made the required dress code a blue gingham dress and red ruby slippers, while I was at it," Tony argued.

 _"Uh-huh._ Only proves that _you're_ the one into role play. Not _me,_ " Pepper pointed out, rolling her eyes, trying to stifle another giggle. "So, you were _saying_ about the..."

"Right. I digress. The Emerald City," Tony interjected, with a smirk. Then his expression went from jovial to sincere intent. "Seriously, Pepper, I...I want this to be... _amazing._ For the _both_ of us. Something neither of us can ever forget. And if we go straight to..."

"Oz?" Pepper joked, giving him a knowing smirk.

Tony smiled at her joke, and nodded. "...Then it's all _over._ All at _once._ And, honey?" he said, running his hands down her upper arms affectionately. Pepper smiled at the tender gesture. He looked at her with a loving smile. "I don't know about _you,_ but..." he took a moment to compose the right words. "I've thought _way_ too much about this to have it be over so _soon."_

Pepper furrowed her brow, as the meaning of his words sank in. And then her lips spread in a broad smile. "Of _course_ you thought about us sleeping together when we first met," she remarked, out loud, but mostly to herself. "Why am I _not_ surprised? _"_

Tony's eyes widened, as he was suddenly aware that he could very well be crashing the moment. He backtracked. "But that's not why I hired you! I mean, maybe it was at _first,"_ he tried to explain. Then he winced. "Okay. That's not better. What I _mean_ to say is I knew you were smart, and capable, and...not at _all_ like the previous...you're just... _different,_ Pep," he began again. " _That's_ why I hired you, and _that's_ why I want to..."

Pepper just chuckled. Tony stopped jabbering and frowned, unsure of what her meaning was. But he was soon reassured, as she softly kissed his lips, then pecked them playfully once more before breaking it off and smiling at him.

"Take things _slow,"_ Tony finished weakly. He studied her face, the corner of his mouth quirking upward as he gave her a pleading look, hoping he'd explained his reasoning well enough.

Pepper chuckled, and cupped his face in her hands, resting her forehead against his. "Well, now that _that's_ all out in the open," she began. She raised her head again to look at him, her eyes full of smokey arousal. "I say let's _follow the yellow brick road,"_ she joked. Tony spluttered with a relieved chuckle, and grinned.

He gave her a resolute nod in the affirmative. "You got it, Dorothy. We're off to see the _wizard,"_ he joked. Pepper giggled, and Tony grinned fondly at her in reply.

"Can't _wait,_ " she cooed, eagerly kissing him once more, playfully biting his bottom lip as they once again racheted up their collective desire. Tony then moved his lips from hers down to her neck, and Pepper's head lolled back. She closed her eyes, feeling each millimeter of her skin prickle at the slightest sensation made from his mouth and tongue, and to the the tiniest tickle from his goatee.

"Oh, _Tony!"_ she moaned.

He moaned back, the arousal in her voice heightening his own. He'd wrapped his arms around her middle when they'd begun kissing again, and he now tightened his embrace around her, reveling in the feeling of his fingers sinking into her bare skin.

He felt her hands slide up and down his back and up through his hair, sending shivery sparks down his spine. "Tony?" he heard her whisper in his ear.

"Hmmm? What, baby?" he replied softly, continuing to lay delicate kisses on her throat.

Pepper pulled back to look at him, her eyes brimming with wanton lust. "Make love to me," she replied.

Tony lips slowly spread into a smirk. "Ah, ah, ah. _Patience,_ Ms. Potts," he warned.

"Patience?" Pepper numbly asked, her brain not computing his reason for resistance.

Tony grinned. "There's a protocol to follow," he tried to say very officially, but with a mischievous smirk. "A _checklist_ , if you will, before we, um... _launch?"_

Pepper's confusion broke, and she smirked wryly back at him. "Only _you_ would try to make this _scientific,"_ she teased.

"Did you expect any less?" he joked. "And I'll have you know I have a fool-proof system that will get _any_ woman moaning and begging for more. Which I am more than _willing_ to demonstrate it to you, in _explicit_ detail. _If_ you're willing to be patient in return."

" _Ree-ally?"_ Pepper replied. "I thought that information was highly classified. And you're saying you're ready to entrust _me_ with it?" she teased.

"Why _not?_ I've entrusted you with everything _else,_ haven't _I?"_ he asked, moving to lightly brush a lock of stray hair behind her ear, and gazing into her eyes intently. "And I'd say you've done well by proving the validity of the first and second steps in the system, _already_."

"Have I now?" Pepper purred. "Care to elaborate?"

"The first being an exchange of suggestive verbiage. The mind _is_ the most important sex organ, you know," Tony purred.

Pepper gave him a sly smirk. "So I've heard," she purred back. "And the second step?"

"The second? Proof that even the _smallest_ of affectionate gestures can create enough momentum to move the moment along," he said. "Allow me to show you once more." He glanced downward toward her arm, and ever-so-lightly stroked her skin, starting from the back of her wrist, all the way up to her shoulder, with the very tips of his fingers. Pepper watched him do this intently, and involuntarily moaned. Tony could instantly see the goosebumps the arose on her skin as a result. He smiled. "Who knew simple touch could be so _titilating,_ huh?" he remarked quietly.

Pepper chuckled softly. "Yes. Who knew?" she replied.

Tony smiled again. He cupped her cheek with one hand, and leaned in to lightly brush the tips of their noses together. Then he rested his forehead on hers. " _Millions_ of tiny, little nerve endings positively _vibrating_ with the desire for stimulation, all while only a _fraction_ of them getting the attention they all so desperately crave. Hardly seems fair to withhold it from them. Wouldn't you say?" he murmured, his voice made low and rumbly.

Pepper's insides tremored in reply, and she swallowed hard. "Y-yes," she stammered. " _Hardly."_ She moved swiftly to make contact with her lips and Tony's, but he pulled away at the last millisecond, leaving her cold. Pepper let out a disappointed squeak, and winced.

Tony gave her a mischievous smirk, and glanced down at her breasts, noticing her nipples had become hard. Pepper noticed him studying her body, and she moved to bring his hand upwards to cup her breast. Tony obliged, and she shivered as his hand made contact with her skin. Her chest began to heave as her breathing became ragged.

Tony raised his eyes to hers, and she cocked an eyebrow. "How about _that?_ " she asked, her voice breathy. "Does _that_ count as part of the protocol?"

He smiled. "Just a variation of step two," he replied. "Very good. You're catching on." He moved his hand to be able to lightly pinch her nipple between his thumb and pointer finger. He then brushed the very tip of it with the pad of his thumb, and Pepper let out a small gasp. He brought his eyes up to hers, and she smiled, nodding in approval.

He smiled back. "I bet I can guess what's going through your mind," he murmured softly. "If step _one_ is dirty talk, and step _two_ is various forms of touch, then..."

Pepper swallowed hard. "W-what's step three?" she offered weakly, barely able to keep herself righted on her increasingly wobbly legs.

Tony grinned. _"Exactly,"_ he answered, before bending to swiftly take her nipple into his mouth.

"Huh!" Pepper squeaked in surprise, as her head dropped back. She pulled him further into her body. She also slid her leg up his thigh, and wrapped it around his hips. Tony took the cue, and ran his hand around her behind, teasing her center with the tips of his fingers as he passed by, and continued on to smooth his hand down the back of her thigh before holding it secure in his hand, and affectionately squeezing it.

"It's _taste,_ " Pepper breathed. "Isn't it?"

"Mmmmm," Tony moaned. He briefly raised his head, and brought his lips back to hers, playfully flicking his tongue into her mouth as he kissed her deeply. Slowly, he broke the kiss, and grinned. It was obvious Pepper was in a very flimsy state, as she was very wobbly on her feet, and her eyes were dazed and glassy as she slowly batted her eyelashes in an attempt to clear her blurred vision. "My _favorite,"_ he purred.

She bit her bottom lip in an attempt to grasp the last shred of her composure, and nodded helplessly in approval. "Yes," she breathed, leaning her forehead against his, and finally giving in to sloppily kiss his mouth. Tony played along, grinning at how sex-drunk he'd already made her. Then she broke the kiss, and leaned her forehead against his again, gripping the front of his shirt in her hand for support. "Yes. Yes, I want that. I want your mouth on me. _Please._ I need it," she begged.

Tony brushed the pad of his thumb over her slightly parted lips, and nodded, lowering his head to kiss them one more time before responding. "And _believe_ me, baby. I need to taste you," he told her. "But right now?" he said. He gave her a look of regret. "It's still a little tricky, I'm afraid."

Pepper frowned. "It _is?_ _"_ she said.

Tony nodded. "You see, steps one through three are virtually interchangeable. We might spend a little time on, say, number _two,_ " he stated, as he carefully slipped under the waist band of the back of her pajama bottoms again, to run his hand over her behind. He brought her leg back up his thigh, and wrapped it around his hips once more before moving his finger tips to her opening and slowly pushing his middle and ring fingers inside her.

Pepper's breath hitched in her chest, and and involuntary "Oh!" escaped her lips. Tony grinned, and took the opportunity to lower his mouth back down to her exposed neck to lay soft, wet kisses all along it. "...While simultaneously including step..." he murmured, as he worked.

"Three!" Pepper interjected. " _Ohmygod,"_ she moaned, closing her eyes in response to the extreme pleasure coursing through her body.

Tony smiled to himself at her willingness to play along. He continued to kiss her skin a few more times, flicking his tongue playfully against it, before he raised his head to look at her. Pepper noticed his lips leave her skin, so she raised her head to look at him as well. They smiled at each other.

"Precisely," he purred. "And then we might change things up and add a little of step _one_ in the mix. So, maybe I'd say something like..." he worked his jaw for a moment as he pretended to be deep in thought, feeling Pepper's eager eyes studying his face. Then he brought his eyes back to her hers. "My _God,_ baby. I _love_ how wet you are," he purred, with a sly smirk.

Pepper gasped, and crashed their lips together, kissing him hungrily and moaning into his mouth. Tony slowly let her leg down from his hips, and ran his hands all over her half-naked form, including under her pajama bottoms, and over her behind, now squeezing it in both of his hands before bringing them back up to run through her hair. They continued to devour each others mouths for several moments, both moaning with fiery passion.

Slowly, though, Pepper broke the kiss and rested her forehead on his, the both of them panting. "Foreplay," she murmured. "Steps one through three are foreplay."

"You got it," Tony agreed, his words breathless. "And _foreplay_ is _essential_ to great sex. _That's_ why it's important for us to take our time with it."

Pepper smiled. " _That's_ been your big secret this _whole time?"_ she asked, raising her head to look into his eyes. "I have to say, that's not _exactly_ a revelation, Tony."

"And I didn't say it ends _there,_ Pep," he countered. "There's something to be said for technique. Timing. Consideration. Creativity. All aspects of making love you have to master if you intend to leave an impression."

"I _see,_ " Pepper cooed. "So, _tell_ me? When do I get to see the other aspects in _action?"_

Tony smirked mischievously. "Oh, all in good _time,_ my pretty," he teased.

"Still sticking with the Wizard of Oz theme, I see," Pepper teased back.

Tony chuckled and shrugged. "Points for creativity?" he asked.

Pepper giggled and nodded. "As long as we're safe from those pesky flying monkeys," she joked, before leaning back in for another lengthy kiss.


	21. Chapter 21

***SMUT WARNING!***

 **(And OOOOHHHH is it EVER smutty!)**

 **I apologize for the delay on this update! It took me a while to hammer out (LOADS of editing took place). But here it is! And you know the rule- be of legal age or be gone! All others...**

 **Happy Reading! ;)**

They continued to feverishly make out for several more moments, until Pepper broke it off and gaze into Tony's eyes with wanton lust. "So what's next on our adventure?" she cooed, her words breathless.

Tony smirked mischievously. "A very _astute_ question, Ms. Potts. But I hope I'm not boring you," he teased.

Pepper chuckled. "Not in the _least,"_ she replied. "Believe me, I..." she paused to playfully peck his lips. "Am _really,"_ she continued, pausing to kiss him slightly deeper this time, but still being playful. Tony chuckled, glad to play along, and kissed her back. "Enjoying everything we're doing," she stated. They both chuckled. "But Dorothy had to persevere on her journey. So why shouldn't we?"

Tony nodded in agreement, and smiled. "Fair enough. Onward and upward," he replied. He then stepped behind her, and traced his finger tips up her arms before moving to brush her hair to one side, laying a soft kiss on the top of her shoulder. She shivered as a delighted thrill traced up her spine, making her bite her bottom lip as her eyes involuntarily closed. He smiled to himself at how much she was already enjoying this next move, before he brought his hand up to gently cup her breast, toying with her nipple briefly. Her breath hitched in reaction, and she let out a soft moan. "You're so sexy. I _love_ your shape," she heard him say, and she turned her face to look at him. He smiled lovingly, and Pepper brought her lips to his for a sweet kiss. He kissed her softly back, as she felt his hand move from her breast to her middle, and start to slide down toward her center. He broke off the kiss and gazed into her eyes, his eyebrows raised in an act of asking her permission to continue. She smiled and laid her hand over his, guiding it the rest of the way, under the waistband of her pants, simultaneously enveloping his mouth in another kiss.

She felt Tony's hand glide over the crest of her mound and down between her legs, his pointer and middle fingers separated from his ring and pinky fingers as they passed over her sex, just teasing the outer edges of her opening. Pepper hummed out of need, and broke the kiss. They gazed at each other, their expressions doused in arousal as Tony slowly brought his hand back up to her little tuft of hair. A corner of his mouth quirked up knowingly. "So far so good?" he whispered.

Pepper swallowed hard, and nodded. "Y-yes," she stammered. She smiled sheepishly.

Tony smiled back, and nodded once in the affirmative. " _Good,"_ he purred. "Then follow me." He gently grasped her hand, and led her to the sofa. Once they were standing in front of it, he bent to lightly kiss her lips, before murmuring, "On your _knees,_ if you _please,_ Dorothy."

Pepper gave him a curious look, to which Tony returned a mischievous smile. He motioned for her to turn around, and she complied without a word, kneeling onto the cushions, and facing the back of the couch. He knelt down next to her, angling his body to her side.

"Why _here?"_ Pepper asked softly.

Tony shrugged. "More comfortable. I wouldn't want you getting all weak in the knees," he answered with a smirk.

Pepper smiled back. "Well, if you must know, I'm _already_ weak in the knees," she confessed, with a smirk of her own in return. "But I appreciate the consideration."

"You're welcome," Tony replied. "And you just _might_ need something to hold on to. Hence the reason why you're facing _this_ way," he said, gesturing to her.

"Ah," Pepper replied. "You seem to have thought of everything."

"It's all part of the protocol, honey," he said. He brushed his finger tips up and down her stomach, detecting a pleasurable shiver moving through her as a result, before he hooked his fingers in the waist of her pants, and slowly pulled them over her hips, taking them down her thighs to her knees. Pepper's breath hitched in her chest in response to his actions, and fresh batch of goosebumps erupted over her skin. A soft whimper escaped her lips. He smiled, gazing at her intently. "So leave it to me, just relax, and let me touch you," he instructed.

She softly nodded. He and Pepper kept their eyes trained on each other as he softly kissed her lips before he brought his hand back to her center, stroking the little patch of hair once more before moving back down between her legs, this time delving into her opening with his middle and ring fingers, and cupping her sex. She inhaled sharply and lolled her head back, closing her eyes, moaning, her hands instantly grasping the back of the couch.

He wrapped his other arm protectively around her middle, and laid a tender kiss on her temple. "Steady, now, baby. There's a lot more in store for _you,_ " he purred.

He then slowly pulled his well-lubricated fingers from inside her, and moved them back up to begin making rhythmic, circular motions over her clit. He nuzzled her hair and then rested his forehead against the side of her head as he worked. She closed her eyes, savoring his touch for a moment before opening them and turning her face to look at him. Tony kissed her lips again- a simple, gentle kiss, acknowledging that he knew she was enjoying herself. It was followed by a soft smile from each of them, gazing lovingly into each others eyes. She could feel his soft breath on her bare skin as he worked her body, and, to her surprise, she found it very soothing, putting her that much more at ease.

A few silent moments went by, and he raised his eyes questioningly to hers.

She smile. "Stay _right_ where you _are._ Don't you _dare_ move," she ordered, her voice low in a husky murmur.

Tony smiled. "Yes, _ma'am,_ " he purred in return. He noticed his hand had become far more slicked with her moisture, and that fact alone was making it hard to concentrate, as the blood flow to his brain was being promptly redirected to other locations in his body. But, also, the space around them was becoming thick with the smell of her arousal, and this sent fiery sparks shooting up his spine, which popped off in his brain like fireworks.

 _An opportune time for another little dash of step one,_ he happily mused. "My hand is soaked, and the air smells like _sex._ I must be doing _something_ right," he commented.

A sly grin spread across Pepper's lips. "I thought this was the goal," she said.

"Well, getting _inside_ of you is the _ultimate_ goal," he corrected, noticing the meaning of his words sending a shiver over her body. He continued. "But these are _very_ good indicators that we are on the right track. Wouldn't you agree?" he asked.

Pepper gave him a soft nod, and began to slowly roll and swivel her hips to match his movements on her body. Her breath caught in her chest again, and she let out another raspy moan. Then she bit her lips together as her pleasure was clearly beginning to grow. An intensified look came over her brow, though Tony knew she was feeling _anything_ but pain at the moment. She tightened her grip on the back of the sofa, as a quiet "Huh!" left her lips. He smiled to himself as he watched the spectacle before him in wonderment, while simultaneously increasing his speed.

He ran the hand that was unoccupied over her backside, and down her thigh. He brought it back up, and squeezed her rear end affectionately. "Ohhhhhh _yeeeahhhh,"_ Pepper moaned. She began nodding emphatically. "Yes. Smack it," she demanded.

Tony's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What?" he asked.

"My ass. I want you to smack it. Like you did the other night in the kitchen," she ordered again, her words hurried and breathless.

He chuckled. "I had no _idea_ that you liked it when I..." he began.

"Just _d_ _o_ it. _Please,_ " she pleaded, interrupting him. "I swear to _God,_ it's been all I can think about."

Tony spluttered, and then chuckled again. "Well, who am _I_ to deprive you, then?" he purred before he swiftly popped her left buttock with his hand. Then, he promptly squeezed it in affection, letting out a playful growl.

Pepper jolted. " _Yes!"_ she chirped. Then she subsequently moaned. She gave him an emphatic, approving nod. "That's it! Just like that!" she told him.

Tony laughed again and grinned. "Well, well, well, Ms. Potts," he cooed. "Never would have taken _you_ for a..."

"Yes, yes. Again! _Please!_ " Pepper ordered.

A surprised, but giddy, smile spread across Tony's face. He repeated his previous motion, smacking her left buttock once more, but this time he promptly rubbed it. He didn't exactly relish the idea of leaving a mark on her, so he hoped that thoroughly massaging the stung skin would lessen any lasting redness.

Pepper yelped again, and then moaned even louder than she did the first time. "Oooohhhhhhh, _yes. Ohhhhhh,_ God!" she cried. Her chest heaved even more. And she began to writhe as it was clear orgasmic waves were quickly overtaking her body.

Tony's already sparked desire ignited into full-on arousal, and he moaned in return. "Oh, that's it, baby. Yeah, let me make you cum," he growled, his voice a seductive husky rasp. He reached up to nibble her earlobe, and Pepper instinctively reached to run a hand through his hair. She'd squeezed her eyes closed as she'd began to climax, but she now opened them to look at him, her eyes dark with ecstatic pleasure.

Tony met her gaze, vigorously working her sex with his fingers. Pepper hungrily kissed him, moaning and panting as she further neared her peak, their shared breath steaming as they devoured each other. But suddenly, she broke the kiss off and moaned loudly. "Huuuuuuuuhhh! Oh! Yehhhhhhhhsss!" she cried out. One hand white-knuckled the back of the couch, but the other gripped his forearm of the hand that was at her sex, her nails digging into his skin as her body went completely rigid, her mouth agape and her eyes squeezed shut.

Tony watched intently as she came, his eyes sparkling with delight at what was happening in front of him. He'd set his jaw, and nodded, urging her on. "Yeah. Come on, beautiful. Let me hear you. Cum all over me, Pepper," he begged, his voice gravelly and hoarse.

She then shifted her grip from his arm to clap her hand over the top of his hand feverishly working at her center, thrusting her hips deeply in tandem with his movements. Her body began to tremble, and, with it, only high-pitched gasps were able escape her lips. She was finally able to open her eyes to look at him, and she gave him a faint, and somewhat _surprised_ smile. She bent to rest her head in the crook of his neck, beginning to show signs of fatigue, but still overcome with the pleasure he'd induced in her body, occasionally reaching up to engulf his mouth with her own in appreciation. He'd fiercely kiss her back, their tongues dancing together before their mouths would part, and she'd moan again.

Tony had to admit, he was astounded at the length of her orgasm. He'd felt every pleasured spasm her body had produced to this point, and it seemed an eternity before it showed any signs of slowing- which he didn't mind in the _least_. But when it _did_ start to subside, she came down from the high slowly, insisting that he continue his movements between her legs. At the end, she gave him a satiated smile and a heavy sex-drugged sigh, and he raised his eyebrows questioningly, making sure she'd fully finished before he stopped. She nodded in the affirmative, and he nodded back, showing he understood. But he had one last trick up his sleeve.

Keeping his eyes trained on hers, he slid his fingers farther down, and inserted his middle and ring fingers back up into her opening. He teased her g-spot with a quick stroke. Pepper gasped, and then giggled. He smiled and carefully removed his hand from her body, bringing those two fingers up to insert into his mouth, sucking her flavor from them, her eyes on him, watching intently. "Mmmmm," he moaned, drawing them out of his mouth slowly, and smacking his lips when he was done, then gazing into her eyes with a smirk. " _De-licious,"_ he cooed.

Pepper instantly flung her arms around his neck, and crashed their lips together, shoving her tongue into his mouth. Tony wrapped her tightly in his arms, and eagerly kissed her back. They remained like this, squeezing every last drop out of the moment between them before the kiss finally wound down and they broke, panting.

Pepper smiled widely, and then started giggling. Tony smiled back, but gave her a curious look. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"I haven't _came_ like _that_ since..." she stopped talking to try to recall. "I can't remember when, at the moment. But I know it's been a _while."_

Tony chuckled. "Memory a little foggy right now, Potts? That's okay. I'm sure it'll come back to you," he teased.

Pepper giggled at him teasing her. "All I know _is,_ I am _loving_ steps one and two so far," she joked. She rewrapped her arms around his neck, and Tony ran his hands up her sides. They rested their foreheads on one another, and smiled. "Not to mention what I hope is the beginning of step three?" she encouraged.

"Didn't I tell you it's my favorite?" Tony replied with a smirk.

Pepper smiled slyly. "You _did,"_ she agreed. "And I'm _very_ glad to hear it. _But,"_ she said, moving her hands down to lay on flat on his chest.

Tony watched her do this, then raised his head to look at her, frowning. _"But?"_ he parroted.

Pepper chuckled. "What if I told you that I...like _giving_ as much as... _receiving?"_ she teased, her voice a sultry purr. She gave him a smirk, and cocked an eyebrow, waiting for his reaction.

Tony's eyes went wide. Then a wide Cheshire cat grin spread over his lips, and he lowered his head to look intently into her eyes. "I'd say I hit the _jackpot,_ " he purred back.

Pepper chuckled. She raised up to kiss his lips, and then gave him a playful smile. "Oh, you have _no_ idea," she cooed lustily, which made Tony splutter, and Pepper giggle even more.


	22. Chapter 22

*** fluffy SMUT warning!***

 **(Surely, you didn't think it would stop with the last chapter, right?)**

 **I apologize for the delay in updates! (And HONESTLY? I tried to get this one done in time for Valentine's Day!) But alas, as it often does, life got in the way! HOPEFULLY, I've made it up to you with this little bit of smut, little bit of fluff chapter!**

 **You know the rule! Be of legal age, or be gone! All others...**

 **Happy Reading! (And thanks for the reviews, my lovelies! They are SO appreciated!) :D**

Pepper gave Tony's lips one last kiss, and then moved to slide off the couch and remove her pants the rest of the way. He watched her, admiring her body. He then raised his eyes to hers, and looked at her in curiosity. "Can I ask you something?" he asked.

"Of course," she said.

"What made you want to drop your guard? I have to admit, I...didn't think we'd _be_ at this place at this point in time," he confessed.

Pepper smiled. She knelt back down next to him, and ran her hands up his chest before raising her eyes to his. "I decided that I needed to let go. You've been nothing but doting, and all I was really asking for was the reassurance that..." she stopped talking, and furrowed her brow. Tony furrowed his, but didn't speak, allowing her that chance to find the words. " _All_ of this, it's... _surprised_ me, I have to tell you. I've spent _so_ long keeping up my defenses with men that I've forgotten what it is to..." she began again, but Tony interjected.

"Be made love to by one?" he offered.

Pepper smiled, and nodded. " _Exactly,_ " she replied. Then she looked deeply into his eyes. "So that being said, I hope...I mean I..." she took a deep breath. "My heart is fragile, Tony," she finally admitted. "Just be careful with it? _Please?"_

Tony gave her a smile of reassurance. "I know I'm like the _last_ person you probably ever thought you'd be with," he told her. "And I know I can't promise to be perfect. But Pepper?" He paused, studying her face, and then looking even more intently into her eyes. "I mean it when I say 'I _love_ you'. You _know_ I don't say those words to just anyone. You're not the only one with a guarded heart."

Pepper's expression changed as his words sparked a realization in her brain. "No, I suppose not," she said thoughtfully, now fully understanding why he'd never bothered to commit to a relationship. Why he never wanted to stick around after a late night fling with all of those random women. _He was protecting his heart,_ she mused. So many (including herself at times) had assumed he'd slept around so much over the years because he was non-committal, immature, and disrespectful toward women. But that wasn't the case (sure, he was immature in some regards. But that had played into things less than she'd perceived). It was just his need to keep from getting hurt. Paste on a cocky smile, keep the world at arm's length, and you've got a recipe for being impervious to vulnerability. _Never realizing he couldn't outrun loneliness living that way,_ she thought. _He's got to be one of the loneliest people in the world._

But _now,_ with this new level in their previously friendly-but-professional relationship, she knew, for certain, that when he said he loved her, he was being 100% honest. _Because Tony Stark wouldn't tell ANYONE he loves them unless he trusts them enough to be vulnerable to them,_ she realized. And because of that vulnerability, she knew he couldn't be lying. He'd never used that line in order to sleep with a woman. His intentions were always laid out on the table for them. It would always be a night to remember with him, but _never_ the morning. At least, she was sure, until _now._

Pepper gave him a kind smile and ran her hands up his chest, easing him back against the sofa. He smiled lovingly back, but gave her a curious look. Still, he said nothing as she bent down to kiss his lips, only raising his hands to gently brush her hair behind her ears before cupping her face.

She straddled his lap, and Tony let out a giddy moan when she did this. She giggled softly at his delight and they broke the kiss to smile at each other. After a moment, she moved to back off of his lap, and scooted down to her knees on the floor in front of him. Tony bit his bottom lip, and watched, his eyes glassy with arousal.

She slid her hand over the growing bulge in his pants, and smiled slyly at him. "Seems I wasn't the _only_ one enjoying the journey down the yellow brick road," she purred, teasing him.

He chuckled softly. "What can I say? The scenery was _breathtaking,"_ he replied.

Pepper smiled at him, and raised back up on her knees to bring their lips together. Tony gently cupped her cheek, as she worked to free his hardening member. She quickly succeeded, and he broke the kiss to moan at the sensation of her suddenly stroking him. She looked down and bit her lip, stopping a delighted gasp from escaping her lips, as she felt him in her hand, his girth and length confirming the rumors she'd heard for years around the office.

She flicked her eyes back up to his, and gave him a mischievous smirk before she slowly sat back again, and sheathed him with her mouth. He instantly inhaled sharply through his teeth, and closed his eyes, dropping his head back as he eased his upper body back against the couch. " _Oh._ My _God,"_ he moaned. Pepper smiled to herself, glad he approved of what she was doing, though she never doubted he would.

Tony reached down to gather her hair in a loose bunch, resting it and his hand on the back of her head as it began to bob up and down. Pepper ran her spare hand up his body, and Tony clasped it in his at his chest, lifting the inside of her wrist to his lips for a soft kiss, and then giving it an affectionate squeeze.

Pepper watched him do this, then rested her eyes back on his as she flattened her tongue to work the under side of his shaft. Their gazes became glued to one another's as she moved. She tilted her head, just to change the angle, and then gently sucked the tip of him. He bit his lips together, and furrowed his brow, appearing to be enjoying what she was doing. "So far, so good?" she asked after a moment, mimicking his question to her from before, as she took a moment to give him a few slow, twisting strokes.

" _More_ than good. _Amazing,"_ he answered, his voice dreamy with appreciation.

She smiled in satisfaction, and went back to sucking him from base to tip, evoking a raspy moan from his lips in the process. "Yeeeeaahhhh, wow, you're good at that," he breathed. "Especially with that little tongue flick you do at the end. That's..."

"What. _This?"_ Pepper teased, doing the move again across the tip. By now, she could taste a bit of his flavor, and she couldn't help the smile that the fluttery butterflies of excitement caused across her mouth as a result.

Tony groaned, and a dopey smile spread over his own lips. He nodded. "Yeee-up. _That's_ the one. Mmmmm _,"_ he moaned.

"Well, in _that_ case," Pepper purred. She gently grasped him in her hand, and focused her attention on the spot that was making his toes curl at the moment, playfully working the whole area with her tongue.

Tony's hips bucked, and he inhaled sharply through his teeth again. She could feel him getting even harder as she moved, and she decided she could play the protocol game just as well as he had. "Mmmmm," she moaned wantonly, as he continue to fill her mouth over and over again. Then she abruptly pulled off with a loud, playful _shluck,_ and grinned slyly. Tony shuddered, and popped open one eye to see the reason why she'd stopped. "Mmmmm, mmmmm. You taste good, _too,"_ she cooed. " _Very_ good."

He opened the other eye as his eyebrows shot up in response, and a giddy grin spreading across his lips. "My _my,_ Ms. Potts! I'm learning all _kinds_ of things about you today," he told her.

Pepper giggled and nodded. "And the lesson is _far_ from over, I _assure_ you," she replied. She then sheathed him completely with her mouth once more, making Tony gasp in return. She began working him now with both her mouth and the twisting motion of her closed hand around him, moving from base to tip, her movements thorough, and deliberate. And Tony moaned, quietly at first, but then louder and louder with each repetition. He rested his hand on the back of her head again, and intently watched her work. Occasionally, Pepper would raise her own eyes to look at him, and he'd give her an encouraging nod. "Yeah, baby. I _love_ what you're doing to me," he murmured at one point.

She'd heard him, but didn't reply. She just kept steadily on, maintaining the same pace until she felt him begin to tense up. A pre-orgasmic spasm caused him to pulse in her mouth. Tony jerked. "Holy _hell_ ," he grunted. But Pepper ignored him once again, staying with the same movement, but upping her pace a just a touch.

He moaned loudly now, and gripped the edge of the sofa cushion. She could feel his body tense even more. But still, she didn't budge. She remained as she was, but increased her pace once again, working him now quite vigorously. She felt his hand go back to the back of her head.

" _Oh_ my God, Pep. I'm gonna...You're gonna make me..." he stammered, his voice strained. He swallowed hard and spoke again. "Seriously, baby, I..."

Pepper slowly pulled off to look at him, all the while pumping him with her hand. She smiled coyly. "I understand what comes _next,_ Tony," she explained. "And _believe_ me. I am _completely_ fine with it." She bent down to swipe her tongue across the tip of him, gathering the drop of pre-cum that had accumulated there. She curled her tongue back into her mouth, and licked her lips, moaning in approval. "With _all_ of it," she finished.

Tony's eyes widened, and Pepper then rose up on her knees to kiss his lips in reassurance. All he could do was weakly kiss her back, as the fireworks her words caused popped off in his brain, singeing whatever brain cells there were left in operation at that moment. Pepper chuckled at how befuddled he looked, and pressed her unoccupied hand to his chest to push him back against the back of the couch once more. "So, sit back, relax, and...just _let me_..." she cooed, as he obeyed. Her eyes, darkened with smokey desire, flicked back up to his, and she gave him a sly smile. " _Taste_ you?" she teased.

Tony whimpered, and raised his body just enough to crash their lips back together. Then Pepper broke the kiss to trace her mouth down his chest, his torso, to his manhood. She eagerly took him into her mouth again, and he moaned. He closed his eyes, doing what Pepper had requested by sitting back against the couch, but relaxing was becoming a very difficult task, as rolling waves of pleasure began to course through him.

"Ohhhhh, yeah, honey. Yeah, that's...oooooohhh, uh-huh," he muttered. He felt himself pulse again inside of her mouth, and Pepper moaned in reply. A few seconds passed, and it happened again, this time far stronger than the first. His chest began to heave as he started to pant, and soon his hips bucked with the first strong orgasmic pulse. Tony inhaled sharply again through his gritted teeth as his pleasure overcame him, and he re-gripped the edge of the sofa cushion to steady himself as he came. Pepper stayed steady, working him thoroughly, vigorously, extracting every ounce of pleasure she could from him until she was sure he was spent.

At that point, he let out a heavy sigh, and laid limply back, a sex-drugged grin spread across his face as she moved one last time along his length, both with her whole mouth, and a twist of her hand following right behind. This made him shiver, and he laughed with a lazy chuckle as she licked the last remnants of him from her lips, and then daintily, teasingly, wiped the corners of her mouth with the tips of her fingers. "Will that be _all,_ Mr. Stark?" she joked.

Tony chuckled. " _You. Are._ _Amazing,_ " he slurred, chest heaving as he was still trying to catch his breath.

Pepper gave him a bashful smile. He smiled back, eyes glittering with adoration for her. Then he moved to lightly grasp one of her wrists. "Come 'ere," he commanded, gently tugging her his way. He patted his lap. "I want you close. Come here."

She obliged, rising from the floor to straddle his lap, and wrap her arms around his neck. Then they gazed into each others eyes mirthfully before he reached to softly kiss her lips.

"How'd you get so good at that?" Tony asked, once the kiss had broken.

Pepper cocked an eyebrow. "Do you _really_ wanna know?" she asked, with a wry smile.

Tony frowned, considering her warning. Then he shook his head. "No. You're right. I don't," he said. "All I know is you are _damn_ good at it. My _Lord,_ woman."

Pepper giggled again. "I'm glad I could oblige," she teased.

"I'm glad you _wanted_ to oblige," Tony replied. "Honestly, I wasn't expecting...well, _anything._ "

She cocked her head, and looked at him curiously. " _Really?_ " she asked. " _No_ reciprocation?"

Tony shrugged. "Don't get me wrong. I loved every minute of it. And for the record, our afternoon _certainly_ doesn't end _here_ ," he informed her, with a mischievous smirk. "No. Far _from_ it, in fact." He noticed a soft squeal of delight coming from Pepper, and a giddy smile she was trying to hide, but pretended to be unawares, though the corners of his mouth were trying _very_ hard to quirk rebelliously upward. "But considering the reservations you had about us _before,_ I..."

"Tony," she said, and he stopped talking to listen to her. She studied his face for a moment, before continuing. Then she smiled. "It isn't _just_ that I decided to relax and let go of some of my... _inhibitions,_ shall we say?"

Tony cocked his head and gave her a curious look. She went on.

"The reason _why_ I decided to do that is because...well, I..." _Here goes nothing,_ she thought. She took a deep breath before she continued. "I'm...in love with _you,_ too," she said finally.

Pepper silenced herself after she spoke, and watched Tony's eyes widen as they searched her face for any sign she was joking. Then he lowered his head, and looked into her eyes intently. "You... _are? Really?"_ he said, his tone soft and cautious.

She gave him a loving smile, and felt a large weight lift from her shoulders at her admission. _"Yes,_ " she said emphatically. "I _am._ I _love_ you, Tony Stark."

He beamed, and instantly crashed their lips together, kissing her deeply. She melted into his kiss, as she felt his hands smooth over her bare skin as they moved up and down her body. They moaned in spontaneous succession, mutually enjoying the sensation of having all of their unrequited feelings for each other finally out in the open, and fully, unabashedly embraced.


End file.
